Usagi's Darkest Hour
by Sailor Amaranth
Summary: After a dismal performance during a youma attack, Usagi begins to have second thoughts about her usefulness to the Senshi team.
1. Chapter 1

The autumn leaves swirled around her shaking body, making her look up to the ominous clouds above. _Fits my mood today perfectly, _Usagi thought bitterly as she roughly rubbed her tear-filled eyes. It was one thing to be told you were useless numerous times over; it was a completely different thing altogether to know it to be the truth. Though no one had ever told Usagi directly that she was good for nothing, everyone constantly implied it. Usagi thought back to her parents and their disappointed sighs whenever she brought home report cards and their complete indifference to her perpetual lateness. It was as if they felt they could never expect her to do better.

She received the same reactions from her best friends Ami and Makoto, and her guardian cat Luna. She gulped down another sob when she remembered their reactions to her latest test. They has simply shaken their heads and moved on with the conversation. Usagi had a least expected some encouragement, since she had actually been motivated to study for this one. Yet they were still disappointed and acted like they had never expected her to do better in the first place, even though she had put in the effort.

Though by far, Rei was the worst. Any little thing Usagi did that was out of line was brought to her attention by the fiery miko. It seemed that Rei truly had no faith in her from the start and liked to voice her displeasure at every possible opportunity.

And then there was Mamoru. Just the thought of him made Usagi's blood boil. Mamoru was one of those people who happened to be annoyingly perfect. It was like anything his hand touched turned to gold. He was a straight A student at Tokyo's most prestigious medical college, which he attended for free with the truckload of scholarships he had won. Not that he needed any. Usagi had recently found out that Mamoru was completely loaded. He had a very cool, very sleek, red sports car, a motorcycle, and an apartment in one of richest neighborhoods in Azabu. He was also one of those men who could truly be called gorgeous. He had thick luscious black locks, which were always perfectly tousled. He had a tall, lean, and muscular frame. Usagi knew this first hand from constantly crashing into his rock hard chest. He had piercing blue eyes and one of those smiles that melted girls into a puddle of goo at his feet. And the worst part was that he knew it too and liked to point out constantly how Usagi could never ever, in her wildest dreams, measure up to his level of perfection.

Usagi started sobbing anew as her thoughts turned to his teasing. It was somehow worse coming from him considering he didn't truly know her. Ami and Makoto had told her that was ridiculous, because it's always easier to blow off hurt from a stranger than from a close friend. While that may true, it made Usagi's heart clench to know that somehow who barely knew her could easily see all her faults and despise her for them.

Usagi briefly wondered why she was suddenly experiencing this heartache. Normally Usagi wouldn't care about such things; she knew her family and friends loved her and life was too much fun to waste it moping around over stinging comments. However, the recent youma fight had made Usagi seriously rethink the way she thought about herself.

The youma tonight had been extremely frightening. It was a tall, lean humanoid female, whose skin was as black as coal. Coming out of the tips of its fingers and toes were three inch long straight claws. Its long wavy hair was blood red, which matched the color of its pupilless eyes. Two long, white vampiric fangs protruded from its inky black lips. Most of the youmas she had faced usually looked pretty comic, but this one looked like a creature from a childhood nightmare. Usagi's heart had stilled upon seeing those soulless red orbs staring at her. She hadn't even been able to stutter out her usual introductory speech. Of course this didn't go unnoticed by Sailor Mars, who promptly shouted at her for being a scaredy-cat before releasing her attack.

Before the phrase "Fire Soul!" left her lips, the youma released its own attack. This consisted of shooting out its claws like lethal darts, followed by a stream of pink boiling acid from its mouth. Mars barely had time to dodge the attack before the claws pierced her skin.

Usagi felt herself go weak in the knees and she sank down to the ground, too stiff from fright to move.

"Come on, Sailor Moon! We need your help to dust this thing!" shouted Sailor Jupiter as she attempted to electrocute the monster.

The thought of being killed in such a grotesque manner caused Usagi to let out a whimper, inadvertently drawing the youma's attention to her helpless state. She felt her mouth open in horror as the youma trained its fathomless gaze on its new target. Sailor Mercury immediately released her fog hoping to shield Sailor Moon from the youma's onslaught, but the youma had already begun aiming in Usagi's direction.

Usagi let out a horrified wail, which quickly became a full out scream. Immediately the red jewels in her odangos started to vibrate, which transformed her screams into powerful vibrations. The youma began howling in agony at Sailor Moon's vocal onslaught and Sailors Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter all used the opportunity to combine their attacks. The force of the combined attacks hit the youma through the fog and it let out one last terrified screech before disintegrating into dust.

Usagi stopped screaming once she heard the sound of the youma dying and as the fog cleared she saw the all too familiar pile of dust where it once stood. She leaned over and clutched the grass, trying to fight the wave of nausea that had come over her. She still felt sick with fear, even though there was nothing left to threaten her. The idea of being torn about by razor sharp claws and then melted with hot acid made her shudder and another bout of nausea rolled over her.

"Good grief, Moon! You could have at least helped out! At least those idiot jewels in your hair complement the fact that your greatest power is crying like a baby!"

Usagi cringed at Mars' harsh words, but was still too busy recovering from the ordeal to respond.

"She's right, you know," Luna sighed "You and the other girls are a team and you can't always expect to rely on them to do most of the work for you."

Usagi felt anger prick her at Luna's comment. "You're one to talk! You never help out! All you do is sit on the sidelines and shout out advice! You have no idea how scary it is to face a youma!"

"Sailor Moon! That was uncalled for!" gasped Sailor Mercury with an accusatory stare.

"Yeah, Odangos-for-brains. Besides, how do you explain that three out of four people can keep their head in a fight?" Mars asked snidely.

Usagi blanched. She had no response to that.

"Come on, guys. Stop picking on her. We really should get home. It's getting pretty late." Jupiter said wearily.

The other two agreed and with three last disappointing looks in Usagi's direction, they started heading home.

"I'll see you back at the house, Usagi." Luna said curtly, before jumping away into the night.

Usagi felt a bit guilty. _Luna must be pretty mad if she doesn't want to walk home with me, _Usagi thought sadly.

Usagi didn't bother to detransform and stayed sitting in her spot in the grass, her mind going back to what Sailor Mars had said. _"Good grief, Moon! You could have at least helped out! At least those idiot jewels in your hair complement the fact that your greatest power is crying like a baby!" _

Why did she have those vibrating jewels in her hair? They only seemed to work when she was crying or screaming. It was as if whoever made them knew she would be a crybaby and had designed a weapon specifically for her temperament. Usagi stilled at that thought. If that were true, than it would imply that she had nothing else she could offer to this fight and the weapons she had seemed to prove that. Not only did Mercury have her own defense attack, but she also had her mini-computer and her visor. Mars had a fire attack and she could dispel evil spirits. Jupiter had her lightening attacks and she was strong enough to life the youmas over her head. Usagi had….a tiara, which she could only use after the others had weakened the monster and vibrating jewels which only worked when she started wailing.

The other senshi all had powers that complemented their strengths and abilities. If Usagi had a power that worked with crying or when others had almost completed the job for her, then that meant…._That's all I'm good for, _Usagi finished.

That's when the tears started coming in earnest and Usagi began looking at the way she had been treated in a different light. She truly _was_ useless, if her attacks were anything to go by, and the comments and attitudes of her friends and family, and even Mamoru, only reinforced the idea.

She had no idea how long she remained sitting on the grass in the park, letting out all the anguish from her painful realization, but she was broken out her reverie when the heavens opened up and let down their own downpour. Usagi squealed in fright when she heard the first clap of thunder. She hated thunderstorms! But then her previous thoughts came rushing back to her. _I deserve to be caught out her in a thunderstorm, all alone, _she thought bitterly.

She still hadn't gotten up from her position on the ground and her fuku was completely soaked through, but she didn't care. All she could think about was how pointless her existence was and how she wished the earth would just swallow her whole and be done with it.

This morbid thought began to take root in her distressed state and an evil little voice in her mind whispered _If you are completely useless to everyone, maybe you _should_ be done with it. There's a bridge not too far from here, and the water has to be rampaging by now. If you jumped, you wouldn't survive._

Usagi gasped in horror at the very idea. Kill herself? She couldn't do that! She had so much to live for and people….depended….on…..

Usagi came to a standstill in her thoughts. Did she really have anything to live for? She was already truly convinced that she couldn't ever hope to achieve anything. _No then, _she firmly decided, _I don't have any purpose to continue on. _

But what about the people who depended on her as Sailor Moon? She couldn't let them down, could she? _But does anyone actually depend on you as Sailor Moon? Sure you can kill the youmas, but the other Senshi could probably handle it, given the chance. And your stupid jewels prove you don't have any great strengths to offer to the team. _

Then why did Luna choose her to be Sailor Moon? Surely she had something valuable and unique to offer to the Senshi?

_What if Luna made a mistake? After all, she did only seem interested in you after you saved her from those boys. And what about what Sailor Mars said? You are the only member of the team that doesn't seem to be cut out for fighting. _

Usagi's eyes widened in shock at this thought. It had to be a mistake! The others all seemed to be made for fighting youmas, as if that was their purpose. Their powers all seemed to prove this. Usagi was no warrior and it seemed as if her locket had given her the powers it did only because crybaby Usagi was all it had to work with.

Usagi started choking on sobs again as she finished this thought process. It was all a mistake. At least as Sailor Moon, she could derive some sense of purpose, some feeling that she was important and others needed her. But that was no longer true. She wasn't meant to be Sailor Moon and with her track record, she wasn't meant to be anything else either.

With a heavy heart, Usagi's started walking in the direction of the bridge. Tears were still streaming down her face, mixing with the heavy rainwater. She had to do this. If she ended her life now, no one would have to be disappointed in her anymore and she could pave the way for the real Sailor Moon to take her place.

She briefly thought about detransforming, but then thought better of it. If she was going to die, she'd at least like to die in the one form where she actually added up to something, at least for a little while.

When she reached the bridge, fear began to tickle her insides. She stared down at the raging water and the rocks below. She didn't have the guts to jump off a bridge. She had almost decided to give up the idea, when that evil inner voice began to criticize her. _You're such a coward, that you can't even end your useless existence? _

Usagi felt her resolve harden. If her life couldn't be useful, the least she could do would be to end it.

Her body started shaking life a leaf, but she ignored the fear eating away at her insides and clumsily climbed up on the railing. She stood there for a moment, staring down into the merciless black water, trying to ignore the doubts screaming at her from the back of her mind.

_No, I have to do this, _she thought, choking back another sob, _it's for the best. It's for everyone's best._

And surprisingly, as leaned forward to fall into the watery pit below, her mind conjured as her final thought, an image of her own personal tormentor, Chiba Mamoru.

To be continued!


	2. Chapter 2

Usagi felt as if she were suspended in midair. She had never expected death to be so…instantaneous. She hadn't even felt the impact. She opened her eyes to peer at her surroundings and then cried out in shock. She _was_ suspended in midair, staring downwards at the angry waters below her. Before her confused mind could assess the situation, she felt an extremely uncomfortable pull from her midsection. Something was wrapped around her digging into her stomach. _A lasso?_ she thought, disbelievingly, before another tug buried the object deeper into her midriff. She soon realized that whoever had captured her in such a manner was now trying to haul her back up to the bridge. And doing a terrible job of it! Usagi felt her savior give another useless tug, which caused whatever was wrapped around her waist to slip down her body a little. This position change caused her to tilt forwards, so now instead of being suspended sideways, her head was pointing towards the water and her legs were dangling painfully above her.

Usagi's mind was reeling. She had no idea what to think of her situation. One minute she had prepared herself for death, in the next, some random person was clumsily attempting to save her. With a lasso, no less! Usagi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Part of her felt relieved that someone had saved her from herself, but another part, that one that still seemed to be in control, felt cheated out of her supposed noble act. She still firmly believed she had no reason to continue on, and now that she was being saved, she would have to muster up the courage it would take to try her suicide attempt again. _That is, if this person actually manages to save me, _she thought, still in wonderment at her method of rescue.

Usagi yelped as she suddenly dropped a few feet. This was seriously not going as planned. _Well, _Usagi thought, _I suppose it doesn't matter how my life ends, as long as it ends._

Despite her situation, she felt another wave of sadness roll over her at the thought. This person was wasting their time; as soon as they realized just who they were saving, they would no doubt rethink their decision to save the blonde heroine.

Usagi sniffled again as these depressing thoughts filtered through her mind. Why couldn't this have been simple!?

Then suddenly, Usagi felt herself being smoothly raised through the air, back toward the bridge. Relief washed over, but she fought the feeling down. _No! I want to die! I didn't want to be rescued!_

Her savior roughly banged her upside down body against the bridge railing, until a pair of strong arms lifted her back onto the safe haven of the bridge. Usagi tried to stand on her own, but the stress of the situation was too much, and she collapsed, falling down onto her back.

Her body was shaking from nerves and from the cold of the rainwater drenched through her fuku. She looked over towards the railing, curious to see the face of her rescuer.

Her eyes widened in shock as she saw not one, but two sets of eyes gazing down at her convulsing form.

She immediately recognized the person who had lifted her onto the bridge. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama," she whispered.

He stood there, a grim expression on his usually stoic face, his tuxedo completely soaked, but his figure still demanding respect and dominating the bridge, his red lined cape billowing in the wind.

Usagi had never seen the second person, but she immediately recognized her for a Sailor Senshi. The fuku-clad figure had waist-length blonde hair tied back by an almost childish looking red bow. Her fuku's dominate color was orange, complemented by dark blue for her chest bow, and a golden yellow for her back bow. She was holding a bright golden chain with heart shaped links in one hand as she panted heavily from exertion. _So that's how I was saved, _Usagi thought. But the thing that really stood out in Usagi's mind was the bright golden crescent moon adorning her forehead in place of a tiara.

Usagi's eyes widened as she stared up at the Senshi. She couldn't be the moon princess, could she? Usagi hadn't remembered Luna mentioning that their princess would also be a Senshi. _Then again, my useless mind probably wasn't paying attention, _she thought bitterly.

Tuxedo Kamen, noticing Sailor Moon's shocked reaction to the new Senshi, turned his penetrating stare on her, until he noticed what had caught Usagi's attention.

The new Senshi, sensing his gaze, focused her attention on Tuxedo Kamen. The two heroes scrutinized one another, mentally sizing the other up.

Tuxedo Kamen decided to begin the confrontation. "And you are….?" he asked the chain-wielding Senshi.

She tossed some of her rich gold locks over her shoulder before responding. "Sailor Venus, sailor soldier representing love and beauty," she replied haughtily. "And you would be…?"

"Tuxedo Kamen, protector of Sailor Senshi," he responded with an equal air of immodesty.

Venus cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really?" She looked him over. "You look more like you're heading home from a masquerade ball, than a knight in shining armor."

Tuxedo Kamen growled in his throat. "And you look like you're playing at something you're not. Why exactly is Sailor _Venus_ sporting a crescent moon on her forehead, mmm?"

Venus blanched at him for a moment, then came to a quick decision, before regally straightening her back. "All right, you've seen through my disguise. I am actually Princess Serenity of the Silver Millenium. I am posing as a Senshi to deceive the enemy."

Usagi gasped. She _was_ the moon princess they had been looking for! For a moment, Usagi became excited, eager to share the news with Luna and the others, before depression came crashing down on her once more. The princess was going to be horrified to learn that one of her soldiers was a fake. Usagi had to fight back tears again as she imagined the disappointed reaction she would receive from the regal woman standing before her.

"You are most certainly _not_ Princess Serenity," Tuxedo Kamen declared, in a rather deadly tone of voice.

Usagi was brought out of her reverie by Tuxedo Kamen's announcement. She looked back and forth between her long time protector and the new Senshi.

Sailor Venus stared at him. "You know, I fail to see how any of this concerns you. Thank you for assisting me in saving Sailor Moon, but your "services" as a Senshi protector or no longer required. You may leave."

Tuxedo Kamen straightened to his full height. "I am not leaving Sailor Moon here with an imposter. Who knows what your intentions are?" he stated.

"My intentions! I just barely got here in time to save her life! Where were you, oh self-proclaimed Senshi protector?" she accused him hotly. "And furthermore, I don't believe you're in any position to decide whether I'm Princess Serenity or not. How would you even know?"

Tuxedo Kamen balled his fists in anger. "I know, because the Princess has personally asked for assistance in finding the Imperium Silver Crystal, and you are most certainly _not _Princess Serenity."

Tuxedo Kamen had seen the princess in his dreams almost nightly, listening to her pleas for him to find the crystal for her. He could barely see her face in these dreams, since she was always standing on a balcony shrouded by fog. However, he had heard her voice and seen enough of her face to be able to tell that Sailor Venus was some sort of fake. He also found it hard to believe that the moon princess would be running around as Sailor Venus. That made sense. Let's hide the moon princess by putting her directly into the line of danger? Tuxedo Kamen shook his head. It didn't add up and he was not going to let this girl dupe Sailor Moon, especially since he wasn't sure if Sailor Moon even knew anything about a moon princess. Though he was sure there had to be some connection between the two. After all, he constantly received messages from the princess in his dreams, and he was literally compelled to come to Sailor Moon's aid, the transformation into Tuxedo Kamen happening against his will whenever she was in danger.

"That's impossible," Venus interrupted his thoughts. "Unless…"

Venus glanced at Sailor Moon, still somewhat shell-shocked on the ground. There was no way she could possibly know. This "Tuxedo" character must be faking her out, trying to get her to reveal that she actually wasn't the princess, but rather a decoy for the real one. The only reason she had revealed her "identity" was to detract attention from Sailor Moon. Her entire purpose was to protect her and she wasn't going to let this strange man get anywhere near her. No, she wouldn't be fooled.

"Unless, what?" he prompted.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I don't believe you. If you don't leave now, I will _make _you leave," she snapped, fully prepared to follow through on her threat.

Tuxedo Kamen's eyebrows shot up. Well, he certainly had no doubts that a Senshi could easily make short work of him, but he wasn't about to give her that chance. Especially since she was obviously a fake, and there was no saying what she wanted with Sailor Moon.

Without bothering to reply, Tuxedo Kamen conjured a rose and tossed it at her, mentally bending it to his will.

Before the rose reached her mid-section, long vines grew rapidly from the short stem and surrounded her body, pinning her arms down. Venus cried out in shock as the force of the attack knocked her to the ground. She hadn't expected him to have powers!

Suddenly, Venus felt energy building up in the vines, until it finally intensified into an unbearable painful feeling throughout her body. She screamed in agony as the powerful energy coursed through her.

Tuxedo Kamen felt a pang of guilt at attacking the golden Senshi, since he had never attacked a human before in such a manner. He pushed the feeling down, reminding himself that she was an impostor and could very well be in the enemy in disguise.

Without waiting for his attack to finish, he reached down and scooped a shivering, dumbstruck Sailor Moon in his arms and leaped off into the night.

Tuxedo Kamen's attack only lasted a few seconds, but to Venus it had felt much longer. She was still shaking with pain after he had left, but still managed to disentangle herself from the vines. She couldn't be sure if they still had energy in them or not.

She stood on the bridge, amidst the howling wind and stinging rain, cursing herself for being such a fool.

First she arrived late to what was supposed to be her first fight with the Senshi. She was extremely lucky she had arrived in time to stop her _princess,_ the only wielder of the Silver Crystal and the only person capable of defeating the Dark Kingdom, from _committing suicide _of all things. Venus gave an involuntary shudder as she thought back to the rush of panic she had felt when she had seen Sailor Moon climb on top of the railing and intentionally fall off. She had ran as fast as she had ever run in life, in her panicked state managing to conjure her chain without shouting out the activation words. Then she had nearly dropped her into the river, not being strong enough to lift someone her same size and weight. She couldn't describe her relief when the strange man in the tuxedo showed up to help. Of course, she hadn't expected him to be involved in all this and claim to know Princess Serenity!

She snorted at his title. Senshi protector? _The Senshi don't need a protector_, she scoffed. But then she remembered that if he hadn't have arrived, Sailor Moon probably would have died and the world would be doomed to become slaves of the Dark Kingdom. She gave another involuntary shudder at the thought.

Of course, now, that was still a possibility. Tuxedo Kamen had claimed to know the princess and that he had been receiving instructions from her. Venus had no idea who he could be and why he was somehow connected to the Senshi and the princess, but he was obviously a dangerous character. He had attacked her without so much as a warning and had kidnapped a very vulnerable Sailor Moon.

She was going to have to contact the other Senshi and formulate a plan for getting Sailor Moon back from Tuxedo Kamen. And they would have to somehow sort out Sailor Moon's emotional issues, especially since they still needed her to fight the Dark Kingdom. If Zoicite ever discovered that Sailor Moon was suicidal…Venus didn't even want to think about what he would come up with.

The Senshi of Love rubbed her temples as she felt a headache coming on. "Artemis is going to _kill _me," she moaned into the wind.

End chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Three sets of disbelieving eyes stared her down. Venus squirmed under the penetrating stares. This was not going as smoothly as hoped.

The four Senshi were standing in the courtyard of the Hikawa Jinja. The rain had let up a little bit ago, but the wind was still rushing against their bare legs, ruffling their skirts as they stood outside in the cold. Mars hadn't wanted to risk going inside, in case Yuuichirou or her grandpa woke up to find the heroes of Tokyo inside the shrine.

Sailor Venus had made the decision to rush home to Artemis, explain the situation, and get his help to contact the others, so they could begin searching for Sailor Moon as soon as possible. As it happened, Venus had no need to go find Artemis, since she ran into the other disgruntled Senshi in the park.

Luna had thought little about Usagi not coming straight home, since it was highly likely that she wanted to mope after the youma disaster. After it started to thunderstorm, Luna had become extremely worried. Usagi was terrified of thunderstorms and there was no way she would stay out in one no matter how upset she was. After waiting for what she considered more than enough time for Usagi to make it home through the thunderstorm, Luna became extremely frazzled and contacted the other Senshi to go back to the park and look for Sailor Moon. Needless to say, being woken up a second time in one night didn't bode to well with the others, especially now that it was raining. Tired and cranky, Ami, Makoto, and Rei all climbed out of the warmth of their beds, transformed and took off for the park, braving the harsh weather as they did so.

Upon seeing the Senshi team in the park, Venus had quickly attempted to explain the situation, but at this time the full brunt of the storm had hit and it was extremely difficult to shout over the roaring wind. They had managed to understand the words "Sailor Moon" and "kidnapped", at which point Mercury had suggested retreating to the shelter of the shrine to discuss the problem.

Venus had retold the events that had happened on the bridge while still attempting to convince them that she was the princess. The fewer people who knew the truth, the less likely the Dark Kingdom was to discover it.

Unfortunately, Venus didn't realize how unlikely her story would sound to the other Senshi.

"Let me reiterate to be sure I understand," Mercury began. "You are Princess Serenity, disguising yourself as Sailor Venus to avoid detection by the enemy. You arrived at the park to assist us in defeating the youma, but instead you saw Sailor Moon in the act of committing suicide. You attempted to save her and were then aided by Tuxedo Kamen. You told Tuxedo Kamen who you were, but he didn't believe you because he claims to personally know the moon princess. So he attacked you and then kidnapped Sailor Moon."

"Um, yes. That pretty much sums it up," Venus said nervously, quickly noticing how she didn't seem to be making allies of her fellow Senshi.

"That is possibly one of the most ridiculous stories I've ever heard," Mars snapped. "First, I can't imagine Sailor Moon killing herself. Second, I do find your disguise rather hard to believe. If you're the princess, it'll be pretty hard to protect you if you're out there with us fighting youma. Third, I know Tuxedo Kamen's motives are a bit dubious, but I can't imagine him attacking you and kidnapping Sailor Moon."

"Yeah, that does sound a bit weird," agreed Jupiter. "I mean, if he wanted to kidnap Sailor Moon, why wait until now?"

"And why kidnap her at all? She's so infatuated with him, all it would take is a few sweet nothings whispered in her ear, and she'd be a puddle in his arms," Mars added.

Mercury nodded. "I'm afraid I agree with the others. Your account does have some very suspicious holes in it."

Mars narrowed her eyes at the blond Senshi. "_You_ didn't have anything to do with Sailor Moon's disappearance, did you? Perhaps you think we'll trust you if you pass the buck to Tuxedo Kamen?"

Venus' jaw dropped. What!? This was not how she expected this scene to play out!

Electricity began crackling from Jupiter's fists. "If you harmed even one hair on her head, heaven help you, because nobody else will," she finished, already putting her arms into a fighting position.

"Considering your story, it does seem rather likely that you're an enemy in disguise attempting to garner our trust by posing as our princess and sympathizing with our distrust of Tuxedo Kamen," Mercury stated, also forming a defensive stance.

_Oh, HELL, _thought Sailor Venus, _where is Artemis when you need him?_

Venus decided that now might be a very good time to plan a strategic retreat and return when she had Artemis in tow to validate her story.

The other three Senshi saw what was going through Venus' mind and quickly surrounded her, blocking off her escape route.

"Uh uh," said Mars. "You're not going anywhere until you tell us _exactly _where Sailor Moon is."

The other two nodded in agreement and began closing in, planning on overpowering the so-called moon princess.

_Not again, _was her last thought, before Jupiter landed a powerful blow to her skull, effectively knocking her unconscious.

Tuxedo Kamen stood in his apartment clutching the shivering superhero to his chest, unsure about his next steps.

He had been in bed when he felt Sailor Moon transform, but since he didn't feel the compulsion to change into his alter ego, which signaled he was needed at the battle, his foggy brain ignored the pull in favor of some much needed sleep, completely forgetting about his quest for the Rainbow Crystals. He had just suffered through a grueling week of all-nighters and mid-terms and getting rest was all he cared about.

He kept trying to ignore the feeling of her transformation, long after he was sure the fight to have been finished. But the constant tugging finally pulled him out of his dream world, and groaning, he got out of bed, transformed, and leapt off into the rainy night.

When he arrived in the park, he suddenly felt a panicked tug, similar to one he received when Sailor Moon was about to meet her demise by the hand of a youma. He ran in direction of the pull, and came into a clearing in time to see Sailor Moon falling forward off a bridge into the rampaging river.

"NOOOO!" he shouted, running with all his might to try to save her, knowing in his heart of hearts that it was useless.

But then he caught sight of a flash of gold, and he saw a blonde Senshi attempting to lift Sailor Moon back to safety with some sort of brightly lit rope. He continued running, seeing that the newcomer wasn't strong enough to lift her fellow warrior back on the bridge.

He was so relieved when he had felt Sailor Moon's weight in his arms and knew that she was going to be safe. He had no idea what would compel the usually bright and cheerful Senshi to commit suicide, but he most certainly wasn't going to leave her alone until he got to the bottom of it.

This is why Sailor Venus' attitude had really ticked him off. Not only did she seem to be taking the situation so casually, but she had completely disregarded his help, and then tried to pass herself off as the moon princess!

There was absolutely NO way that he was leaving Sailor Moon alone with that fake, Senshi or no. Which is why even though his body was begging for rest, he was standing in his apartment, leaking rainwater onto his expensive white carpet and holding onto a very bedraggled and confused sailor warrior.

_Now what?_ he thought wearily. The doctor in him started coming through and the first thing he decided to do was get Sailor Moon out of her wet fuku. Of course, he had no intention of leaving her alone in his bathroom, where she could conceivably come up with a variety of ways to finish what she started at the bridge, so that option was out.

He pressed his lips, willing his exhausted brain to think of something.

After a few seconds of holding the shaking Senshi, he came to a decision. "All right. First things first. We both need to get out of our wet clothes. So, we're both going to turn around, detransform, and then quickly restransform. Our clothes should be dry with our new transformations."

Sailor Moon mutely nodded. She didn't really care at this point. During the whole trip over to Tuxedo Kamen's apartment, she had been thinking of her relationship with him. At first she had experienced hope, thinking that maybe there was one person who believed that she wasn't a complete failure. After all, he was always giving her encouraging advice during the youma fights, as if he truly believed that she was capable. But then she reevaluated his motives. Tuxedo Kamen only arrived to save her in the nick of time. Of course, recently he had shown interest in the Rainbow Crystals, but that was beside the point. His main mission seemed to be rescuing her. If he had good motives, that meant he was going out of his way to risk his life for her, because she was incapable of holding her own in a fight. If he had bad motives, he was simply trying to keep her alive to destroy the youmas so that he had a chance at getting the Rainbow Crystals. Either way, her uselessness was causing someone to risk his life to safe her on an almost daily basis. These thoughts caused her to lose hope again and put her right back into her morbid, depressed state of mind.

She obediently turned around and let her transformation fade. She didn't think it mattered at this point if Tuxedo Kamen discovered her identity or not, but the thought of him thinking of her as more worthless than he probably already did, prompted her to say her henshin phrase.

"Moon…prism…power….make up," he heard her whisper. He was aware of lights dancing on his wall and carpet as she transformed behind him. He had no idea it would be so showy. His transformation took place almost instantly.

He turned around to face a sight that broke his heart. The once proud Champion of Justice stood slouched over, a most painful look of dejection adorning her usual smiling face. Her hair was still wet from the rain and her pigtails trailed forlornly along the floor. Her normally bright blue eyes now held a vacant and dormant look, which seriously frightened Tuxedo Kamen more than anything else.

"Here," he said gently. "Why don't you sit on the couch? I'll make you some hot chocolate, and then we can talk."

Her face took on a frightened look. "I…I don't want to talk! I just want to go home," she whimpered.

"NO!" he shouted, realizing his mistake as she shrunk away from him. "I mean, no. I saw what you tried to do back there on the bridge, and I'm not giving you the chance to do it again. You need to talk to someone. I know I may not be the best option, but I am studying to become a doctor and I've taken some psychology courses. "

He saw her grimace at the mention of psychology, but he continued on. "I'm sure being Sailor Moon has taken quite a toll on you; it would take a toll on anybody. You've faced more horrors in your youth than many adults will ever face in their entire lives. I'm sure it must be difficult for you to talk about your feelings about these things to others, but I know some of what you're going through, and I'm probably the most qualified person you could confide in without being written off as delusional."

She looked up at him at this point, and he saw a very brief flicker of hope in her eyes, before some other emotion squashed it.

"I bet you wouldn't be saying that if you knew what I was really like," she whispered, eyes turning downcast.

He raised his eyebrows. _Sailor Moon _had an inferiority complex? No way. She was possibly one of the most wonderful girls he had ever known. She exhibited this light and joy of life that was almost envious. Despite her fear at her newfound superhero status, she always arrived to a fight intent on doing her best. She wasn't exactly the most graceful warrior, but the fact that she always risked her life for the innocent because she knew she had the power to defeat the enemy, always filled Tuxedo Kamen with pride.

"I bet I would. Why don't we find out? If you're going to end your life anyway, it surely wouldn't hurt to pour out your emotions to me first. What would it matter if you're gone? And possibly, once you talk out your problems, you'll realize that you don't want to end your life and that you still have a lot to live for."

Sailor Moon stared up at him, considering his offer. It wouldn't hurt to tell him how she felt, especially if she planned on killing herself anyway. And maybe…just maybe…he could give her a reason to continue on. She felt relief flood through her again, and this time, she didn't reject the feeling.


	4. Chapter 4

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP! _thought Venus, after assessing her almost comic situation.

She had woken up a moment ago to find herself blindfolded and tied to a chair. She realized they must have brought her inside a building, because the atmosphere felt stuffy and hot. She could hear Sailor Mars a little off to her left, chanting, for some unknown reason.

Sailor Moon had been kidnapped by a guy who was currently doing who-knows-what horrible things to her, while Venus was currently helpless, tied to a chair, and her only allies were soon to grill her on Sailor Moon's whereabouts.

_Stay cool V-babe,_ she thought, _you can think of a way out of this. _

As far as she could see, there were two options. First, she could attempt to talk her way to freedom. Of course, the only thing she could really change about her story was the identity of the princess._ Yeah, that's really going to work, _she thought sarcastically. _Just kidding! I'm not the princess, Sailor Moon is! Now do you believe me? No? You still think it's weird that the princess is a Senshi? But it makes more sense! Sailor Moon…princess of the moon. Can't you see the symbolism? _

Venus had thought the same exact thing though, when Artemis had told her the truth. Why exactly was the princess they were sworn to protect fighting side by side with the Senshi? Artemis had explained that Sailor Moon alone had the power to defeat the Dark Kingdom, which is why the princess had to join the fight. _I could explain that to them, _Venus mused. No doubt they had realized how powerful Sailor Moon truly was, which would add more credence to her story. However, she still had no way to convince them that Sailor Moon had actually thrown herself off a bridge and that Tuxedo Kamen had kidnapped her.

She did not expect the Senshi team to have so much faith in this Tuxedo Kamen person. They had mentioned they didn't fully trust him, but at the same time, they were unwilling to believe he had kidnapped their leader. Venus thought back to Mars' comment about Sailor Moon's infatuation with him and fought the urge to snort in disgust. Mars would rather believe that her fellow Senshi had had a hand in Sailor Moon's disappearance rather than accuse some strange man she knew next to nothing about. _Hypocrite, _Venus thought. Though to be honest, if she had met him in more favorable circumstances, Venus would be sold on the guy too. He was HOT!

_Okay, now is NOT the time to be thinking about that! _she cursed her wayward thoughts. Here she was, a prisoner, because no one believed her story that this man had _attacked_ her, and she was thinking about his good looks? _What is wrong_ _with me!?_

Collecting her thoughts, she noted that her second option was to feign unconsciousness until Artemis managed to find her. The latter seemed far more appealing, since judging by her pounding headache, she really didn't want to go through any sort of interrogation, especially where Sailor Jupiter was involved.

Or course, she had no idea how long it would take for Artemis to find her. Artemis had sent her to the fight, saying that since all the Rainbow Crystals had been discovered, now was the time to give the enemy a decoy princess, so the Dark Kingdom hopefully wouldn't turn its attention to Sailor Moon. With the hope of claiming the Silver Crystal through the Rainbow Crystals, the enemy would no doubt also be concerned with the whereabouts of the moon princess. It wouldn't do any good to find a powerful weapon that could destroy you, if you left alive the one person who could wield it.

Artemis hadn't been able to accompany her, since one of his paws had been injured during her last bout with a youma. A wayward blast of energy had thrown Artemis into a tree, damaging one of his legs in the process. That is why Venus had been frantic to get home and find him. Though thinking back on it, she realized she really should have called him with the communicator first. However, in her panicked state after the events on the bridge, she hadn't exactly been thinking straight.

She knew that Artemis must be frantic with worry by now, and hopefully, despite his injury, he would run off in search of Luna, who would probably be able to lead him to this shrine where she was. _At least, I hope I'm still at the shrine, _she thought miserably.

"Argh! Nothing! The fire hasn't given me anything on Sailor Moon!" shouted an angry Mars.

"Well, I have determined that Sailor Venus is human and not a youma," said Mercury, hoping to pacify the fire Senshi.

_No, really? _thought Venus sarcastically.

"That doesn't necessarily mean she isn't from the Dark Kingdom. I mean, isn't Zoicite human?" asked Jupiter, curious.

_Oh, great. Now they think I'm one of the Shitennou?! _

"I've never been entirely sure on that point," answered Mercury. "He's never stayed still long enough for me to analyze him."

"Mmm, Mars? Do you sense any negative energy from Venus? Wouldn't that prove she's from the Dark Kingdom?" asked Jupiter, perking up now that they might be making progress.

"No..." said Mars slowly. "I didn't even think to try."

_What!? She can sense negative energy and she didn't realize I obviously don't have any? _Venus mentally yelled.

Venus heard Mercury slightly moan. "I think we're too exhausted to think this situation through clearly. After all, we have been up all night."

"Well, we've got to come up with something! Sailor Moon is missing and we can't go back to sleep until we find her! Who knows what the Dark Kingdom is doing to her!" Mars ranted.

"Or Tuxedo Kamen," added Jupiter. "If we are wrong about Venus, then we'll have to believe her story."

"Her story?" snorted Mars. "Her story that involves one of the happiest people on the planet, our dearest friend, killing herself?"

"We really need to calm down and think this through logically. We can't disregard her story simply because we don't like what we heard," stated Mercury.

_Yes! Yes! Thank you Mercury! Now untie me so we can search for Sailor Moon!_

"We have thought this through logically! It doesn't add up!" snapped Mars.

"Well, neither does her being the enemy," countered Jupiter.

"Who's side on you on now?" Mars hissed.

"I'm on nobody's side! I just want to find Sailor Moon! If we agree that Venus isn't from the Dark Kingdom then we have to agree with her story that Tuxedo Kamen kidnapped her. Right now, it's the only lead we have and I can't handle standing around here arguing when my best friend could be in danger!"

_All right! Two out of three! _

"Look, I won't argue that it's…" began Mars, before an incessant beeping interrupted her thoughts.

Venus heard something click and then, "Sailor Moon?" said the thunder Senshi anxiously.

"What's going on!? I sent you girls out an hour ago!" yelled an angry female voice.

"Ah, crap! We totally forgot about Luna!" exclaimed Mars, a little bit sheepishly.

"LUNA! It's Sailor Venus! Artemis found me a month ago and told me to find you! Your Senshi have me tied to a chair!" Venus shouted, realizing what she was saying wasn't making much sense, but she didn't want the Senshi to cut the connection before she could explain herself.

"Artemis? Who is that?" asked Luna, completely confused.

_Who is Artemis!? He said Luna would remember him!_

"Artemis is your partner! You were both advisors to Queen Serenity during the Silver Millennium! You were both sent to Earth to awaken the Senshi! Artemis found me and gave me my henshin wand!" Venus cried desperately, willing her to remember.

"I thought you were the moon princess," said Mars snidely.

Venus growled in exasperation. "Okay, okay! I lied! I'm a decoy for the real moon princess! We can't let the Dark Kingdom find her!"

"You're a decoy? Why didn't you just say that?" queried Jupiter.

"Yes, and why didn't you believe Tuxedo Kamen when he said he knew the moon princess? If you're not her, then he could conceivably be acquainted with her," said Mercury reasonably.

_Is this ever going to end? _Venus thought with growing impatience. "Because I know who the princess is and he can't possibly be receiving instructions from her."

"You know who the princess is? Then why didn't you tell us!?" shouted Mars, herself growing impatient at this whole fiasco.

"Argh! Don't you get it? If you don't know, then there's a less likely chance the Dark Kingdom will find her. If the enemy ever captures you, you won't be able to give them information on her whereabouts. The less you know, the better."

"How come you can make decisions like that? Who died and made you leader of the Senshi?" snapped Mars, realizing a second later, the Sailor Moon could indeed be dead by now. She quickly shook off the thought. If Sailor Moon died… No, she wouldn't let her thoughts go that direction.

Venus groaned. "I _am _the leader!"

"Sailor Moon is the leader," said Jupiter stubbornly, beginning to resent her previous support of the blond Senshi.

"No, no. She's right. I remember now. Sailor Venus was the leader of the Inner Senshi," said Luna, slightly dazed that her brain had conjured this little piece of information.

The silence following Luna's statement was almost tangible.

"Um, then why did you say Sailor Moon was the leader?" asked Jupiter, now really confused.

"I…I honestly don't know. It made sense at the time…" Luna trailed off.

"Okay. Okay," Mercury said, trying to get her thoughts in order. One of the things she hated most in the world was lack of sleep, because it affected her ability to process thoughts and come to intelligent conclusions.

"If Luna remembers Sailor Venus and Venus knows Luna, then it seems her story is entirely plausible. It actually makes sense to have a decoy princess who is capable of defending herself. We wouldn't want to stretch ourselves too thin protecting the real princess and a fake one."

Another silence stretched. The three Senshi all had the same thought spinning through their heads: If Venus' story was true, that would mean…

Venus heard Jupiter let out a groan, before collapsing to the ground. She also heard Mercury beginning to sniffle and Mars' breath become unsteady.

Then she understood. She felt guilty for attributing their denial of her story to school girl crushes on Tuxedo Kamen. It was far more than that. The Senshi didn't want to admit that their closest friend had tried to end her life and they had failed to notice anything amiss with the usually cheerful girl.

Venus decided she could forgive Jupiter for her throbbing head.

Despite their emotional pain, they still needed to pull it together and find Sailor Moon. Venus cleared her throat. "I know this has been a painful piece of information to digest, but Sailor Moon is still missing and we need to focus our efforts on finding her."

She heard Jupiter trying to compose herself. "But where do we start? We don't know anything about Tuxedo Kamen."

"Well, you could start by untying me. Just a suggestion…" said Venus sarcastically. Her wrists were really beginning to hurt and she was becoming increasingly annoyed with the blindfold.

"Right," said Mars, shakily, as she came over to undo Venus' bonds.

Venus blinked rapidly as the bright light from a large fire hit her eyes. She peered around the room, realizing she was still at the shrine and in a large room with a sacred fire. Apparently the Senshi had been willing to risk detection when they had taken her hostage. There were large fluffy pillows around the room which Jupiter and Mercury were occupying. Mercury was sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest, her face buried in her knees. Her frame was shaking, indicating that she was quietly sobbing.

Jupiter was sitting with one leg stretched out in front of her and the other bent, with her arm resting on her knee. Her hand was loosely holding her baby pink communicator and a look of self-loathing plastered her face.

Mars' eyes had a look of shocked horror in them, as if she had just discovered that a long time lover had betrayed her. Her mind was not fully on the task of untying Venus, and it took her three tries before she successfully freed her.

Venus felt another stab of guilt when she glimpsed the Senshi. She hadn't been thinking of how they would react to Sailor Moon's suicide attempt. As horrible as she thought it was, it had to be far worse for those who knew her best.

"I don't understand. What's going on? Where's Sailor Moon?" asked a still confused Luna.

Mercury looked up, her face streaked with tears, her eyes wide. How were they going to tell Luna? They knew Luna loved Usagi as if she were her own daughter, despite her constant nagging of the happy-go-lucky teen.

Jupiter made the decision for her. "Sailor Moon had been kidnapped by Tuxedo Kamen. We have to find him," she said grimly.

Mercury understood. The top priority now was finding Sailor Moon. They could tell Luna the painful news later.

"What!" Luna screeched. "Have you tried reaching her with the communicator?"

All four Senshi looked at each other. Mercury gripped her head in her hands. "I can't believe we didn't think of that," she moaned.

"Right. I'll call her," said Mars, and with a slightly uncertain look in her eyes, pulled out her communicator from her sub-space pocket.

She hit the button with the moon symbol on it, unconsciously holding her breath as she waited for a response.

Nothing happened for a few moments and when the Senshi were about to concede defeat, they suddenly heard their friend's voice shouting at them through static.

"Minna! Help! I'm….. Azabu…….Tuxedo Kamen…...wants the Rainbow Crystals……running…..Hurry!" came the garbled message before it cut out.

The Senshi jumped up, their previous pain temporarily forgotten. "That's why Tuxedo Kamen took her! He's after the Rainbow Crystals!" shouted Mars.

"Get to Azabu! I'll meet you there!" yelled Luna, before her connection also cut off.

The other Senshi wasted no time as they ran from the temple, leaping through the cold night once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Although Tuxedo Kamen had expected this night to be rather long and difficult, he hadn't expected it to turn into a complete disaster. He didn't delude himself into thinking that the blond Senshi would be back to normal after their chat, but he certainly hoped that he would be able to talk her out of her thoughts of killing herself.

He had sat the nervous heroine on his couch, while he went into his kitchen, keeping an eye on her the whole while. He began to boil some water for hot chocolate, and then also decided to make a pot of coffee, realizing that he needed to be in a full state of alert for this conversation. He didn't want to say anything that would push her over the edge because of lack of sleep.

Sailor Moon fidgeted nervously with the edge of her fuku. The idea of spilling her guts to Tuxedo Kamen truly frightened her. What if he really did think of her as low as she thought of herself? As appealing as she found talking to someone, she didn't think she could handle the rejection from him. She practically idolized him, and to see a disappointed expression on his face would be more painful than she could bear.

Tuxedo Kamen handed her a mug of chocolate before seating himself in his favorite olive green armchair. He took a long sip of his coffee, feeling better as the warm liquid trailed down his throat. He looked to his right to see Sailor Moon staring emptily into her cup.

"You should drink it," he said, startling her out of her thoughts. "It'll warm you up."

She gave a slight nod, and reluctantly, took a sip of the hot drink.

"All right," he began, taking off his top hat as he did so. "I think you should start by telling me exactly why you felt the need to throw yourself off that bridge tonight."

Sailor Moon shook a little and tears began to prick her eyes as she thought back to the experience.

"I…I…" she couldn't get out any more, as she suddenly started sobbing in earnest.

The Senshi protector hastily put his mug down on his coffee table, moved over to his couch, and bundled the quaking girl in his arms. She gripped onto his lapels desperately, pouring her anguish out onto his chest.

He couldn't imagine what could make this ray of sunshine feel like this, but if he ever found out who…

"I can't take it anymore!" she suddenly shouted, staring up at him with wide tear-filled eyes. "Every day I see the same look in their eyes! It hurts so much, because I know they have the right to be disgusted with me! I'm always late, I'm terrible at school, I eat too much, I'm messy, I'm klutzy, I'm loud, I'm selfish, and I'm a useless sailor Senshi! I helped defeat the youma tonight because the jewels in my hair release energy when I cry! What kind of attack is that?!" she ranted, beginning to hyperventilate slightly as sobs racked her small frame.

He didn't understand. She felt the need to kill herself over these small faults? And it wasn't like he had a spectacularly dignifying attack either. He threw flora at the enemy. He counted himself lucky that girls found it romantic and he didn't appear in a cloud of rose petals like Zoicite.

_It can't be the faults themselves, _he mused_, but the way everyone makes her feel about them. _Suddenly he felt guilt pool in his stomach as he thought about another girl that closely matched Sailor Moon's description of herself. Surely Odango didn't take everything he said about her seriously? That girl seemed to bounce back after all the sharp jabs he threw at her. This, of course, was the reason he continued to tease and humiliate the poor girl. She was like an energetic humming bird, flitting through life without a care in the world. It angered him to no end. He had received a harsh blow early in life, losing his parents and his memories in a car crash at the age of six. Afterwards, he grew up in an orphanage, watching all the other chipper kids get adopted. Nobody wanted the broody sulking child that was Mamoru. When he was finally old enough, he set to work, managing through two jobs to pay for his living expenses during his first year of college. Fortunately, he had been gifted with a brilliant mind, earning him scholarships to study for free. The next year a lawyer had dug up his parents will, revealing his mountainous inheritance. This was a welcome relief, but they always say money can't buy happiness, and Mamoru knew first hand just how true that was.

Usagi, however, had it all. She was always happy, and had a family and friends who loved her dearly. Yet she seemed to take it all for granted. She was such a slacker, flowing through the ebbs of life wherever they took her, giving no heed to responsibilities. She was always failing tests, getting detentions, and blowing her entire allowance on video games. This always irked Mamoru and it always made him feel better about the unfairness of his life when he brought the bubbly blond down a peg. He realized how childish it was to use a fourteen year old girl as a verbal punching bag in an effort to lift his own spirits, but since all his insults bounced off her like gummy candies, he didn't think it was causing any harm.

Sailor Moon had managed to compose herself slightly and continued to rant. "It hurts so much when they tell me how much better I could do. It's not like I don't try…" she sniffled a bit before continuing. "I can always see their faces in my mind, giving me those disappointed looks….My parents, my friends, Haruna-sensei, and…and..._him,_" she bit out harshly, saying the word like it was somehow dirty.

_Haruna-sensei? _he thought. _Where have I heard that name before?_

Then suddenly something in him clicked and he stared down at the anguished girl in his arms, a look of dawning horror appearing on his face.

"He's the worst," she continued. "He doesn't even know me that well, but he always tells me how stupid I am, how fat I am, how childish I am…" she paused for a moment to roughly wipe her eyes, oblivious to her companion's tightened grip on her shoulders. "It's somehow worse coming from him. If someone I barely know can see how useless I am and feel the need to point it out to me daily, then it's no wonder my friends and family see it too. That must be why they don't expect me to do better, because they know I can't do better!" she wailed, sobs beginning to course through her once again.

"I'm even useless as a sailor Senshi! I can't hold my own in the fight and the others are always picking up my slack. I don't understand why I can't bravely face the monsters like they do, but I think it's because it was a mistake for me to be Sailor Moon. I mean, my attacks are useless, my fighting skills are useless, you always have to save me because I'm useless…" she trailed off, weeping into his shirt once more.

"That's why I want to end it. If I'm so useless and everyone is disappointed in me, why should I continue on?" she mumbled through her sobs.

Tuxedo Kamen was pole-axed. HE had caused this, or had at least heavily contributed. Carefree, innocent Usagi was this broken warrior crying on his chest. He suddenly realized how seriously he had misjudged the peppy teenager. She was right, he barely knew her. The same ditzy girl who chugged down milkshakes like they were going out of style and was hopelessly incompetent at her favorite Sailor V arcade game, was the same girl who gathered enough courage about her to face deadly monsters from another dimension on an almost nightly basis, selflessly putting her life in danger to save hordes of nameless, thankless people. And she wasn't as impervious as he had thought. His comments had obviously deeply hurt her self-esteem, something she appeared to be struggling with anyway.

It seemed that she had been choosing to ignore the pain, rather than face it, for far too long. Something must have happened at the youma fight which had brought all these negative emotions to the forefront, causing her to decide on her extreme course of action.

He would never forgive himself if she chose to end her life because she had taken all his stinging comments to heart. Trying vainly to ignore the guilt now screaming through him, he vowed he would not rest until Sailor Moon began exhibiting the bold confidence he knew she should rightfully possess.

He got down on one knee in front her taking her hands in his. Trying to stop from shaking, he pleaded, "Sailor Moon. Please look at me."

She did, her wet puffy eyes showing confusing at his sudden actions.

He stared up at her, his heart again breaking into thousands of tiny pieces at seeing the far reaching pain that he had a large part in causing.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Oooh, how romantic! Are you proposing Tux-boy?"

The two heroes whipped their heads towards the kitchen, their mouths dropping almost comically at the sight that met them.

Zoicite sat causally on the counter, his legs crossed, one hand behind him for balance, the other one idly playing with Nephrite's black crystal. He was openly smirking at the couple and his crystal green eyes held an amused glint.

Tuxedo Kamen barely registered that he was quickly losing his suave reputation as he still sat kneeling on the ground, his mouth attempting to form words, making him look like a gaping fish.

"What the…how?" he managed to sputter, still in shock.

Zoicite let out a laugh, clearly enjoying their stunned reactions to his presence. "It's quite simple really. I don't know how I didn't think of it earlier. If I can use Nephrite's crystal to find the Rainbow Crystals trapped within humans, why can't I use it to track the Crystals which no longer have hosts?"

He smirk returned, noting with relish the look of dawning dread appearing on the faces of his nemeses. "Yes, that's right. As long as you have the Rainbow Crystals in your possession, I can find you at any time."

Zoicite glanced around the pristine apartment, tossing his long blond ponytail over his shoulder. "Mmm, the décor is very masculine, isn't it? I suppose this is your place, Tuxie? You know, now that I know where you live, it'll be dead easy to find out who you are."

He grinned again. "Though, I must admit, it's very convenient to find you both here together. Saves me an extra trip."

The Dark Kingdom villain leisurely stretched out his legs. "You have two options: Either value your lives and give me the crystals voluntarily, or…"

His face lit up, clearly hoping they would choose the latter. "Or, I could fight you for them now. If you attempt to escape me, I will not hesitate to hunt you down in your civilian forms. It'll be too easy, with the Rainbow Crystals acting as homing devices. You wouldn't want that to happen now, would you Moon girl? Wouldn't want to introduce me to your parents?"

Sailor Moon gasped, realizing the terrible implications of their situation. If she didn't surrender now, she could never return home. Zoicite would find her and no doubt use her family as ransom for her one Rainbow Crystal.

The same thoughts were running through Tuxedo Kamen's head. He didn't have any family to worry about, but if Zoicite figured out his identity, which in all likelihood he would, it wouldn't be too hard to trace back a connection to Motoki, and Zoicite would have no qualms using his best friend to get to him.

Yet giving Zoicite the crystals wasn't an option. If the Dark Kingdom acquired the Rainbow Crystals, that would put them in possession of the Silver Crystal. Neither Tuxedo Kamen nor Sailor Moon knew exactly what the Silver Crystal was capable of, but they were pretty sure if the Dark Kingdom got their hands on it, Earth wouldn't stand a chance.

Sailor Moon suddenly stood up, a determined expression on her face. "You're not getting our crystals Zoicite. If you want them, you'll have to take them by force."

Tuxedo Kamen felt a surge of pride at Sailor Moon's stand. Her family could potentially be in danger, but, once again, she was putting the safety of the planet first. He only hoped they would survive this ordeal, so he could convince her of her worth.

Though surviving a direct attack by Zoicite wasn't likely. The Shitennou were very powerful, and Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon were both exhausted from lack of sleep.

Zoicite laughed again and clapped his hands in anticipation. "I was hoping you would say that. Now, don't say I'm not merciful. I'll give you two a head start before I come after you. Run along now little heroes."

Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon shared a glance. Neither of them liked the idea of running away, but having a fight in the middle of an apartment complex wasn't the best idea. Innocents could get hurt in the crossfire.

Sensing their hestitation, Zoicite lifted his hands up. "I said RUN!" he shouted as he let loose a blast of energy from his palms.

Sailor Moon screamed as she was slammed face first into Tuxedo Kamen's balcony door. The combined weight of the two superheroes hitting the glass caused it to shatter, and both of them fell down on top of the sharp shards.

Tuxedo Kamen grunted from the impact and was extremely thankful that his tuxedo offered him some protection from the glass. He lifted himself up and glanced over at Sailor Moon to see her struggling to stand, whimpering, as blood seeped through her white gloves and stained her knees, the glass having taken its toll on her unprotected skin.

Tuxedo Kamen felt a surge of anger at Zoicite for hurting this young, innocent girl, and he had to resist the urge to go back inside his apartment and attempt to pummel the blond villain into oblivion. He knew this wasn't the best course of action, so instead he scooped Sailor Moon into his arms, and leapt over to the next balcony, making his way to the edge of his building. He didn't exactly know where to go, but he intended to put as much distance between innocent civilians and the powerful Dark Kingdom warrior as possible.

He heard Zoicite cackling from not too far behind him and realized that he hadn't intended to give them that much of a head start.

The masked superhero looked down at the fearful girl in his arms. "Is there any way you can contact the other Senshi?" he questioned, raising his voice to speak against the wind roaring past his ears as he ran. "We can't defeat Zoicite on our own."

Sailor Moon's eyes widened. Or course! Why didn't she think to call the other Senshi? She cursed her stupidity as she reached into her sub-space pocket for her communicator. Before she could press the all-call button, the symbol of Mars lit up.

Sailor Moon pressed the button, quickly realizing that all the Senshi must be together looking for her since she hadn't come home after the fight. It was a good thing she hadn't, she suddenly realized. Zoicite could have potentially ended up in her bedroom, instead of Tuxedo Kamen's apartment. She shuddered at the thought.

"Minna! Help! I'm in the Azabu district with Tuxedo Kamen! Zoicite showed up and he wants the Rainbow Crystals! We're running away from him! Hurry!"

She knew the message would sound garbled, since she was traveling at such a high speed, but she hoped that the Senshi got the important parts. She was about to repeat it to be sure they understood, but then Tuxedo Kamen suddenly stumbled, nearly falling off the edge of the building they had landed on. Sailor Moon saw Zoicite's laughing form not too far behind them, and realized Tuxedo Kamen must have been hit by another energy blast.

Her feelings of uselessness resurfaced as she understood that Tuxedo Kamen had been carrying her like this to block her from Zoicite's attacks. She mentally cursed her weakness, but resolved that she was not going to stand back and let someone else do all the work for her in this fight. Her family and friends were now in danger, and no matter how worthless she felt, she resolved to swallow her pain and protect them, no matter the cost.


	6. Chapter 6

Tuxedo Kamen landed in the park. He knew it would be deserted at this late, or rather early, hour and the trees would provide a lot of much needed cover. He glanced down briefly at the girl in his arms and wasn't too surprised to see her with a steely determination in her eyes and her mouth forming a grim line. He knew the blond was very protective of her friends and she was going to do anything in her power to keep them safe.

"Put me down," came Sailor Moon's hard voice from his chest.

He started to protest. "We're not yet…"

"I said, put me down! NOW!" she shouted up at him, startling him enough that he let her go.

She whirled around and gave him a cold stare. "I appreciate you saving me all the time, I really do, but I need to be able to stand on my own and face enemies like Zoicite. I can't always rely on you to protect me."

Tuxedo Kamen gaped at her. _Oh no, _he thought. _Her suicide attempt hasn't changed into a reckless mission to prove herself, has it?_

As much as he wanted Sailor Moon to feel important on the battlefield, going one on one against Zoicite wasn't the best way to start. Chances are, she'd never set foot on the battlefield again.

"Sailor Moon," he began. "I know that you are capable…"

He didn't get to finish his speech, for Zoicite just then decided to announce his presence with yet another energy blast. Sailor Moon sailed back and landed with her backside to the ground and Tuxedo Kamen found himself thrown against a tree.

Zoicite floated in the air, laughing above the pair. "I had expected you to futilely hide in a tree, or something else equally stupid. Instead you're having a lover's spat."

He grinned down at them, his face forming an evil smile. "All right, I've had my fun. Now time to get what I came for."

He lifted his palms at them again, but instead of enduring a painful energy blast, the two heroes felt a strong force surround them, as if something was squeezing them very tightly. Sailor Moon sank back onto the ground, suddenly feeling as if gravity was pressing down on her with ten times its normal force. She then realized, with a sickening feeling of dread, that she was pinned spread-eagle on the ground, unable to move.

Tuxedo Kamen was becoming aware of the same thing, only he had been pinned to the tree. From his vantage point, he could see Sailor Moon lying helpless on the ground at his feet, Zoicite coming to land on the ground in front of her legs.

Suddenly an image of just what the Dark Kingdom warrior could do to Sailor Moon in that position filled his mind. Without thinking he let out a growl. "Don't touch her!" he commanded, trying vainly to struggle free from Zoicite's restraint.

Zoicite cocked an eyebrow at him, and then grinned maliciously. "Oh? Don't touch her? You mean, like this?"

Zoicite knelt down next to Sailor Moon's side and began to gently caress her face. Sailor Moon's eyes widened in horror as the gloved hand stroked her. She began to squirm, hoping somehow to free herself. _Please don't! _she though desperately _I can't handle that. Please don't…_

Tuxedo Kamen let out a primal roar, struggling harder against the invisible force binding him. "I said, DON'T TOUCH HER!" he screamed, panicking at the thoughts of how this could affect Sailor Moon in her vulnerable emotional state.

Tuxedo Kamen's pain and frustration only encouraged his nemesis, however.

"Would you like a kiss, Miss Moon?" he purred in her ear, causing her to gasp.

"No!" she shouted, tears beginning to fall down her face. "No! Please, don't!"

_It'll be my first kiss, _she thought, horrified that he would take something so precious from her.

Zoicite ignored her pleading and leaned down to press his lips against hers. Sailor Moon couldn't move her head, and was forced to endure the unwanted contact. Tears began pouring over her cheeks in earnest now. This wasn't how she imagined her first kiss to be. She had always thought of kisses as being warm and sweet, like the first bite of fresh baked pastries. She didn't expect them to feel cold, akin to pressing chilled metal up against her mouth.

Tuxedo Kamen let out another roar of rage and Zoicite smirked against her mouth. He suddenly deepened the kiss, taking her bottom lip into his mouth. The hand that wasn't on her face then landed on her stomach and began making its way farther up her body.

Then, without warning, Zoicite was torn away from the crying girl, his body thrown against a light pole, his frame crumpling in pain on the ground beneath it.

Sailor Moon instinctively turned her head, realizing that she was now free of Zoicite's power. She started in surprise when she saw Tuxedo Kamen's awe inspiring form.

He had managed to free himself from Zoicite's hold with sheer force. He stood there, his hands still held out in front him, having released the powerful blast of energy. He loomed over Sailor Moon's from protectively, his cape making him appear larger than normal. His eyes seemed to be glowing behind his mask and a bright gold sigil in the shape of a circle with a cross in the middle had appeared on his forehead. He face held a look of pure rage, his mouth forming a feral snarl.

Zoicite pulled himself up from the ground, his face exhibiting loathing for Tuxedo Kamen. He hesitated before attacking, a brief flicker of recognition crossing his eyes, then he rushed towards the masked man.

The two warriors charged each other, Tuxedo Kamen matching Zoicite's energy attacks blow for blow. Sailor Moon watched the battle in awe of her hero's fighting abilities. He was well skilled in some sort of martial art and he seemed to have tapped into a newfound power source enabling him to reproduce attacks similar to Zoicite's. However, it was clear that Zoicite still had the upper hand in this fight. Tuxedo Kamen was exhausted and Sailor Moon could see that his reaction times were slow and steadily getting worse.

"AARGH!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted, as Zoicite shot an energy blast directly into his enemy's stomach.

He staggered backwards, falling to the ground in pain, trying desperately to catch his breath. Zoicite smirked down at him. "It's nice to see you've finally got some useful powers, Cape-boy. No more silly roses for you, I suppose? Not that it matters , since you'll never again use any of your attacks against me!" he finished in a shout, once again raising his palms forward, fully intent on finishing what he started.

Sailor Moon's eyes widened in horror at what was about to happen and, without thinking, she pulled her Moon Wand out of her subspace pocket.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" she yelled, aiming her weapon towards Zoicite.

Zoicite's mouth opened in shock as the energy from Sailor Moon's wand touched him. Then he threw back his head had began screaming in agony as her power pulsated around him.

Sailor Moon had already begun cursing her actions. _Why didn't I use my tiara!?_, she thought angrily.

However, it was too late. She had already used the Moon Wand, and she was reluctant to stop the flow of power since she could sense her weapon attempting to accomplish something. Whenever she had healed the hosts of the Rainbow Crystals, she got this same feeling from the wand. The power was obviously trying to heal a person, but with a youma this took very little time. With Zoicite, it seemed the wand was trying to do the same thing, but was having far more difficulty.

_Maybe that's because he doesn't want to be healed, _she thought, still somewhat debating what to do. As disgusted as she was with Zoicite for touching her like he did, she still felt a pang of guilt at the pain she was putting him through. Just as she was about to give up, she felt the familiar final release of power that indicated the youma had been healed, and energy ceased emitting from her wand. Zoicite slumped forward, unconscious on the ground.

The two heroes got up slowly and made their way over to Zoicite. Tuxedo Kamen kicked him over, checking to see if he was really out cold. Satisfied that they were safe for the moment, he turned to Sailor Moon.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Sailor Moon was still shaken inside at the thought of what might have happened, but she tried to press the feeling down. "Yes," she replied, though her voice shook slightly, betraying her true emotions.

She was about to ask about his welfare in return, but then suddenly an idea struck her. She knelt down by Zoicite and began digging through his pockets.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, confused.

"I'm looking for the…the Rainbow Crystals!" she shouted, pulling four colored crystals from Zoicite's uniform. She held them in her hands and pulled the one she had managed to acquire from her sub-space pocket.

Tuxedo Kamen gasped and immediately conjured the two he had and placed them in Sailor Moon's hands, waiting with bated breath for something to happen.

Nothing did.

The pair looked at her other confusedly. "That was rather…anticlimactic," he said disappointedly.

"Yeah," Sailor Moon agreed slowly. "I don't know. I guess I was expecting them to magically fuse together or something." She shrugged. "I bet Sailor Mercury could figure it out."

_Mizuno-san_, he suddenly realized. If anybody could figure it out, she sure could.

He was distracted by his musings when he heard a groaning at his feet. Zoicite was coming around. Sailor Moon gasped in shock and dropped the Rainbow Crystals, scattering them along the ground. Tuxedo Kamen was about to land a kick to Zoicite's head to knock him out again, but then he realized that Zoicite no longer seemed interested in the crystals. Instead, he was kneeling with one knee on the ground, his head bowed down, and one fist crossed over his chest.

"Master," Zoicite said in a choked sob.

The two heroes' eyebrows shot up. _Master?, _they both thought at the same time.

"Master," Zoicite continued, openly sobbing now. "There are no words to describe how deeply sorry I am for my betrayal. I should have tried harder to resist her hold over me, I should have…" he began weeping in earnest now, guilt overcoming him.

"Oh, Master! I beg for the chance to be of service to you again. I swore my life to you before in the Golden Kingdom and I swear it again to you now. I will honor and protect you as long as I live, no matter the cost to myself. I know that I do not deserve such a privilege, for I have failed you so completely. Yet I have sworn my life to you and it is now in your hands. If you accept my servitude once more, it is more than I will ever deserve. If you do not, I humbly accept any punishment you give me."

Zoicite finished his speech, still crying and with his head bowed low. Tuxedo Kamen's mouth was opened in shock, once again. What was he supposed to say to that!?

Sailor Moon looked curiously down at the Moon Wand. "Maybe it did something to his head?" she questioned in a whisper to Tuxedo Kamen.

"Maybe," he replied, completely baffled. Could this be some sort of trick? He didn't understand how it could be, considering that Zoicite could easily knock them back with one of his attacks and quickly make off with the all seven of the Rainbow Crystals littering the ground.

"I'm sorry, but…why are you calling me 'Master'?" said Tuxedo Kamen, deciding that Sailor Moon was right, and something must have gone wrong with the Moon Wand to make Zoicite like this.

Zoicite's eyes shot up and his tear-streaked face stared up at the masked man, a sight Tuxedo Kamen never expected to see.

"You don't…you don't…remember?" gasped Zoicite, suddenly looking pole-axed. "You don't remember _who you are?"_

Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon shared another glance. "I'm Tuxedo Kamen," he replied slowly, as if speaking to a child.

Zoicite stared. He stood up suddenly and looked Tuxedo Kamen straight in the eye. "No. You are Endymion, High Prince of the Golden Kingdom of Terra," he announced in a tone that allowed no room for argument.

Silence followed these words. Tuxedo Kamen was sure that if this was a comedy crickets would be chirping or tumbleweeds would be rolling past. He cleared his throat and attempted to reason with the man who was obviously a little bit off at the moment.

"I believe you're mistaken. My name isn't Endymion and I'm not a prince."

Despite his obvious depression, Zoicite seemed to be a bit annoyed. "You have the seal of the royal family on your forehead. Furthermore, I served as your guardian for most of my past life. I know who you are."

"I…what?" he said confused, raising a hand to feel his face.

Sailor Moon nodded in agreement, though she still looked uncertain. "He's right. You do have a mark on your forehead. It's a circle with two lines in it."

_A circle with two lines through it?, _he thought. _The planetary symbol of Earth? Why is that on my forehead?_

"You've also exhibited some of your abilities tonight. As the royal head of your planet, you derive power from it. In the same way, the Sailor Senshi, the royal heads of their respective planets, derive power from their home worlds," Zoicite continued.

This piece of information took a while to seep through the pair's sleep deprived minds. Sailor Moon suddenly gasped and stared wide eyed at Zoicite. "I'm the Senshi of the Moon! That would mean…" she trailed off, unable to voice the obvious, unbelievable conclusion.

Zoicite looked at her solemnly and nodded. "Yes, that's correct, your highness. You are Serenity, Princess of the Moon and the Silver Millennium."


	7. Chapter 7

"There's no sign of them anywhere!" yelled Sailor Jupiter in frustration.

The Sailor Senshi and Luna had been running around Azabu for what seemed like ages, hoping for a sign of their friend. They had debated trying to reach her on the communicator again, not entirely sure if it was the best idea. As Mercury had pointed out, calling her on the communicator could distract her if she was in the middle of a fight or, if she was incapacitated, it could alert Tuxedo Kamen to the fact that his hostage had a way of calling for help. Cursing the fact that they hadn't thought of that earlier, they finally agreed on the communicator as a last resort.

The group had reconvened on a deserted street in front of a closed storefront. Being in their Senshi forms, they felt safe at the early hour and were pretty confident no enthusiastic fans would badger them.

"Did anyone see anything, anything at all, that may have been an indication of a struggle?" Luna asked.

The others all glanced at each other and shrugged. "Well…" said Mars slowly. "I did see a broken window on a balcony, but that doesn't necessarily mean there was a fight."

"No," Sailor Mercury agreed. "However, we are in a pretty posh neighborhood, so any form of destruction is a bit suspicious."

Venus nodded. "I say we check it out. We have nothing else to go on."

They all agreed and tiredly followed Mars' lead to a very upscale looking apartment building. Mars pointed up. "It's on the eighth floor, I think, toward the middle of the building."

"Yeah, I see it," said Jupiter, the tallest of the group. "It looks like the whole window exploded outward."

"Come on then, let's go," said Venus, already preparing to leap.

"Wait! What if some innocent person is at home? What do we tell them?" asked Mars.

Mercury shrugged. "We just tell them we were alerted to some suspicious activity in the neighborhood and we wanted to check and make sure they were safe since we saw their window was broken."

The group murmured agreement. Jupiter picked up Luna and the Senshi began leaping up the balconies, towards the shattered window.

They landed on the balcony taking note of the broken glass. It looked as if people had crunched through the shards and the Senshi could see droplets of blood on some of the pieces.

"Ok, yeah. This is pretty creepy looking," said Jupiter, glancing into the apartment, which still had the living room fully illuminated.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Mars called out tentatively, realizing belatedly that if Tuxedo Kamen were here, they would no longer have the element of surprise.

Receiving no reply, the Senshi cautiously made their way into the building. They glanced around, seeing no one. "Let's split up and search the place. If he's here, he may be hiding," instructed Venus.

The group nodded and quickly searched the rooms. They met up again in the living room, reporting the apartment to be abandoned. Luna jumped up onto the couch. "Is there any evidence that Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Kamen were here?" she asked the assembled superheroes.

"You mean, like this?" asked Mars, picking up a black top hat from the ground near a large armchair.

"Yeah, I would say that's pretty incriminating," said Jupiter, staring wide-eyed at the hat. They were in Tuxedo Kamen's apartment and Sailor Moon had apparently broken down the window in an attempt to escape.

"Well, anybody could own a top hat," said Mercury, though rather doubtfully. "We should look for more evidence to be certain."

"Well, how about the fact that there were obviously two people here?" questioned Venus, sweeping her hand to indicate the coffee table, which held two mugs almost full with coffee and hot chocolate.

Luna leapt over to the table and gingerly placed a paw in one of the mugs. "They're still a little bit warm," she commented. "Whoever was here didn't leave that long ago."

"Yeah, and they must have left pretty quickly if they didn't finish their drinks," noted Mars.

"Wait. If this is Tuxedo Kamen's apartment, why did he make Sailor Moon hot chocolate? It looks like they were settling in for a chat," questioned Jupiter.

Mars rolled her eyes. "Odango Atama probably thought they were on a date or something. At least she wised up when he asked her for her Rainbow Crystal."

Luna sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, that scenario seems likely."

Venus frowned. Did they really have so little faith in their princess? Perhaps their attitudes had something to do with Sailor Moon's suicide attempt. If it did, she'd positively throttle the Senshi team, Jupiter's strength notwithstanding!

"Alright, I think our first step is to figure out Tuxedo Kamen's civilian identity. That way, if we don't succeed in finding him tonight, we can find him at any time," Mercury advised.

Venus was jerked out of her angry thoughts by Mercury's suggestion. "Good idea. Let's go through his stuff. Maybe he left his wallet around or something."

"It'd help if the guy had some pictures on the walls," said Jupiter, as she headed to search a small table near the door. "Who doesn't have photos on the wall?"

"Yeah, that is pretty weird," agreed Mars, heading towards the bedroom.

Mercury noticed some medical textbooks sitting on the table and bent to pick one up. _Medical Humanities: Ethics and the Art of Medicine, _she noted the title and then flipped the cover open.

Mercury was not one to be shocked easily, but she found her reaction comparable to the time during her sixth year of school when she had been bested by one point in a final exam.

Her mouth had fallen open, her eyes were bugging out, and her hands were shaking. _It can't be!,_ she thought wildly, unwilling to believe the incredibly handsome and well-liked medical student that nearly every girl in Juuban crushed on was now her enemy. She read, and then reread the inscription on the inside cover of the book.

"Guys," she said weakly. "I found his identity."

The others crowded around her overcome with curiosity. She passed the book to Jupiter and Mars, unable to read it aloud. They silently read what had Mercury so shook up: _This book is the property of Fuhurata Motoki._

"Mo…mo…Motoki!?" Mars screeched, unable to believe it.

"No! It can't be! He was going to be my boyfriend!" moaned Jupiter, feeling somehow cheated.

"You know this guy? Who is he?" asked Venus, curious.

"Motoki is the manager at an arcade and fruit parlor where the girls like to hang out. Every girl within a ten block radius wants to be his girlfriend," Luna explained, rolling her eyes.

"I don't understand," said Mercury, almost desperately. "He's so nice and friendly and good with kids. His personality doesn't fit with Tuxedo Kamen's."

Venus had never met the guy, so she was confused by the Senshi's reactions. "Are you sure they can't be the same person?"

The Senshi shared a glance. "I would never guess in a million years that Motoki was Tuxedo Kamen," stated Mars. The other two and Luna nodded in agreement.

Venus was about to call Mars on her propensity to put more faith in hot guys than in common sense, until she saw Luna's doubt as well. At least Luna wouldn't be crushing on cute college boys!

"Well, maybe Motoki is friends with Tuxedo Kamen and left his book here," Venus suggested.

Jupiter snorted. "I can't imagine Motoki being friends with someone as dark and broody….as…Tuxedo…" she trailed off, her mouth opening in shock.

She glanced over at Mercury who was apparently having the same thought. "You don't think it could be…_him_…do you?" she said tentatively, staring worriedly at Sailor Mars.

Jupiter gulped, also glancing over to gauge Mars' reaction. "Well, I guess Usagi has an excuse to teach him a lesson now, huh?"

"He's my boyfriend! My boyfriend can't be an evil kidnapper!" Mars shouted, suddenly realizing just who her friend's were referring to.

Venus raised her eyebrows. "Your boyfriend is Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked, incredulous.

"Your boyfriend? You mean…Chiba Mamoru!?" shrieked Luna at the totally unexpected piece of news. She had almost hoped he was Motoki. At least, he'd probably be easier to reason with.

"Well, Mamoru-san isn't exactly her boyfriend…" began Jupiter.

"He is too!" argued Mars, defiantly. "We've been on two dates!"

"I don't think he really saw those as dates…" said Mercury, concerned. She hadn't realized how much her friend had read into Mamoru's motives. Ok, sure, they had had coffee at the arcade and had taken a boat ride in the park, but Mercury was under the impression that Mamoru was being friendly, not looking for a potential girlfriend.

Mars snorted. "Believe what you want, but he's still my boyfriend!"

"You have realized that your 'boyfriend' is Tuxedo Kamen, who attacked me and kidnapped Sailor Moon? Not a very good beginning to your 'relationship', now is it?" asked Venus snidely, completely enjoying Mars' horrified expression. _She deserves it after the way she talked about her princess, _thought Venus, completely unrepentant.

Mars crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she was deluding herself into thinking that Mamoru really cared about her, but she was loath to admit it to the other Senshi. She had hoped that if he began spending time with her, he would see her as more than a cute middle school girl. It didn't help that she was friends with Usagi. She loved Usagi as a sister, but she couldn't help the green-eyed monster of jealousy that roared in her chest when he lavished his attention on her best friend. Granted, it was negative attention, but attention nonetheless. This was part of the reason why she always called Usagi on all of her faults. In the back of her mind, she had realized that if Usagi shaped up, Mamoru would have no more reasons to tease her, and then he might focus more of his attention on his 'girlfriend'.

She mentally sighed. She knew that was a terrible reason to snap at her friend, but at least it wasn't the only one. Deep down, she knew that Usagi was the best friend anybody could ask for. She gave her love freely and unconditionally, asking nothing in return. That was all Mars really cared about. She didn't need Usagi to be sophisticated and smart to love her in return. It was just that she knew the bubbly blond was capable of so much more than she showed. Mars hoped that through her relentless teasing, Usagi would get her act together.

Suddenly, the same thought she had been suppressing all night resurfaced. _What if it's your fault your dearest friend tried to kill herself? Perhaps you went too far with your criticisms. _

No! She wouldn't think like that. Usagi knew that she loved her; she wouldn't choose to end her life over a few biting comments.

Mars was jerked out of her thoughts by Jupiter's voice. The other Senshi had decided to ignore Mars' internal musings and return to the problem at hand.

"Okay, we know that Tuxedo Kamen was here with Sailor Moon and we know that Sailor Moon escaped with Mamoru in pursuit. What do we do now?"

"We don't know that Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen! Motoki could have other friends like Mamoru!" shouted Mars, still unwilling to believe the truth.

Jupiter put a hand on her hip and glared at Mars. "Mamoru is Motoki's best friend, they're both in medical school, and Mamoru's personality fits with Tuxedo Kamen's. How much more proof do you want before you'll abandon this school girl crush and focus on finding our friend?"

Mars looked away, ashamed. They were right and she knew it, but it hurt so much to admit the truth.

Mercury reached over and put her hand on Mars' shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you Rei-chan, but we can't let our personal feelings get involved right now. Finding Sailor Moon is the most important thing at the moment. Besides, I know that you know Mamoru never really saw you as a girlfriend in the first place, so you're not actually being rejected. He does seem to like you as a friend."

Mars looked up, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I know…I just wish it could have been more. Now we're enemies. We can't even be friends."

Jupiter's faced softened and she also reached over to comfort Mars. "It'll be alright. There's plenty of other fish in the sea." She suddenly smirked. "Like Yuuichirou."

Mars looked up, unable to hold back a slight grin. "We'll have to see about that one."

Despite her slight dislike for the Fire Senshi, Venus was still glad the situation had been resolved. She herself knew exactly what unrequited love felt like.

"Okay, we know basically what happened here tonight. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where we go from here?" Venus questioned the group.

"We could just wait here until they return," suggested Jupiter.

"I'm not sure if I like that idea," said Venus, deep in thought. "We don't know that he'll bring her back here. He may just decide to finish her off once he gets his hands on the crystals."

"Mamoru wouldn't do that! He's not like that!" cried Mars, although accepting the truth, still unable to believe Mamoru could be so cold-hearted.

"Exactly how well do you know this guy?" demanded Venus. "He sure had no qualms about attacking me!"

The three Senshi thought for a moment. To be honest they didn't know Mamoru that well. He seemed nice and polite enough and obviously had good qualities, since the ever friendly Motoki counted him as his best friend. Despite his reserved, almost broody temperament, he did exhibit some fire when confronting Usagi. It seemed the chipper blond brought out the worst in the usually calm and collected college student. They suddenly realized that this brief portrait they had of him at the arcade obviously wasn't the full picture.

"Okay, fine," said Jupiter, rubbing her temples. "But how are we going to find them? They're obviously not in Azabu anymore."

"Well, let's think. If you were in Sailor Moon's position, where would you go?" questioned Venus.

The other Senshi and Luna thought about it. "I would go someplace away from civilians. I wouldn't want innocent people to get hurt by my attacks," stated Mercury.

"Where place could she go to that would be people-free?" wondered Mars.

"How about…the park?" suggested Jupiter.

"Of course!" Mercury exclaimed. "The park would provide plenty of places to hide and strategize without endangering anybody with a stray attack."

"Alright, the park it is! Let's go!" ordered Venus, turning around to run from the apartment.

It didn't take long to reach the park, since it was in the vicinity of Azabu. The Senshi leaped over the closed gate at the entrance and quickly took defensive positions.

Mercury took out her mini-computer and began scanning the area. "I should be able to see if there are other humans in the nearby area," she explained, noticing Venus' questioning look.

She nodded. "Good, this way we can take him by surprise," the golden Senshi said, almost gleefully.

Jupiter grinned. "It looks like she wants some revenge," she whispered to Mars.

Mars, though still somewhat depressed, couldn't help but grin back in response. It would be hilarious to see Mamoru's tuxedoed butt handed to him by a girl half his size.

"Alright, I've determined that there are four people in the park. There is a group of three gathered together off a bit to our right and there is another person far ahead of us heading in their direction."

The Senshi looked confused. A group of three and one alone? That didn't exactly fit what they were looking for.

"The group of three could be gang members or something and the other one could be a cop on patrol," suggested the Thunder Senshi.

The others sighed. "Well, we weren't for sure Sailor Moon decided to come to the park," muttered Mars, quite weary.

"Okay, then, let's call her and then…"

"Look!" shouted Jupiter. "Someone's coming!"

"It's the person by himself," Mercury informed them.

The Senshi crouched low, hoping to remain unseen. They really didn't have time for a confrontation with a police officer at the moment.

A male silhouette was steadily coming closer to them, though heading in a diagonal off to their right. He still seemed intent on joining the other group people. He paused under a lamp and the Senshi gasped when they glimpsed him.

He was clearly from the Dark Kingdom, his uniform giving him away. As opposed to the other Shitennou, his ensemble included a cape and he had shoulder length silver hair, both of which were blowing in the still strong wind. He seemed to have sensed being watched, for he began to warily scan the almost empty park. Judging by the look in his eyes and the firm features of his countenance, the Senshi realized that this man was a hardened warrior and was not to be taken lightly.

Seemingly satisfied that he was alone, he continued his trek through the park. The Senshi collectively let out a breath.

"What is he doing in the park?" whispered Jupiter, hoping to remain undetected.

"Maybe he's collecting energy?" offered Mars.

"Don't they usually send youma to do that?" Venus asked, having never faced one of the Shitennou before, although this one appeared eerily familiar.

"Wait. If Tuxedo Kamen is after the Rainbow Crystals, then it's more than likely he's working for the Dark Kingdom. Perhaps he's come to meet Tuxedo Kamen," rationalized Mercury.

The others all stared at her, just now realizing how serious the situation had become. Tuxedo Kamen had always claimed that he was working for himself and in fact often fought Zoicite for the crystals. Yet now, it seemed like the Senshi had been prey to some sort of ruse by the Dark Kingdom.

"But there are three other people in the park, not just two," said Jupiter, hoping against hope that they were wrong about Tuxedo Kamen's loyalties.

"The third person is probably Zoicite, if Tuxedo Kamen was actually his partner this entire time," noted Luna, trying to fight down a feeling of panic.

Venus was extremely concerned, but trying not to show it. She wasn't sure how far along the Senshi were in developing thier abilities, but it seemed doubtful that the four of them would be able take on Zoicite, Tuxedo Kamen, and this new arrival. They had no choice but to try, however. Their princess and the entire planet was on the line.

Venus glanced at the others and the all shared a grim look of understanding.

"Let's go," she ordered, and the four Senshi took off in the direction of the silver haired warrior.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **Hello, everyone! Sorry this is so late! I've been really busy and my Word program recently crashed, so I've been having trouble finding time to write this. I hope this chapter makes up for it! I'm also sorry I haven't been answering questions. Rest assured, all your questions will be answered through the course of the fic. Well, except for the one about whether or not my pen name is my otaku. Actually, it's a pun off my real name, believe it or not. Anyway, on to the chapter!

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A million thoughts were racing through his head. It was one thing for Usagi to be Sailor Moon, but the _Moon Princess? _ He was completely confused about how he should relate to her now. Usagi was the thoughtless girl he constantly teased in order to make himself feel better, Sailor Moon was the girl he constantly saved and secretly admired, and the Moon Princess was the girl he constantly dreamed of and had sworn to protect once he found her. His perspective on Usagi and completely changed tonight when he had discovered her alter ego. He had great respect for Sailor Moon and had no trouble expanding this feeling to accompany Usagi as well. He had obviously misjudged the ditzy teenager to the point of making her think so little of herself that she wanted to end her life. There really was nothing wrong with her being a teenage girl, enjoying the blessings of her fortunate life. Her being happy wasn't the reason for him being unhappy, so it was really unfair for him to take his resentment out on her. Also, it seemed now like her below average intelligence and behavior wasn't from an actual lack of ability, but rather lack of self-confidence. With everyone, including himself, being disappointed in her, it was a wonder her depression didn't hit a lot sooner.

So now, even though he had only known of her identity for a brief period of time, he had already begun to see Usagi and Sailor Moon as the same person, a person he greatly admired. That didn't seem too difficult to wrap his mind around, but the Moon Princess? Why was the Moon Princess calling to him in his sleep if he saw her every day at the arcade and on the street? _If she doesn't know she's the Moon Princess, she may be calling to you subconsciously, _his mind offered.

Right. So she didn't know. Should this affect the way he felt about her? He had always felt a special connection with his princess, a need to protect her, a need he also felt toward Sailor Moon. He mentally frowned. This really shouldn't change anything. He wanted to protect the princess, a figure he held respect for. He now held those same feelings for Sailor Moon. Therefore, he really shouldn't change his feelings for the girl, for he had the same feelings for her in each persona.

Of course, that didn't explain his feelings earlier when Zoicite had been about to… He couldn't finish that thought. The image would always be burned in his mind however. Zoicite deepening the kiss, his hand making its way up toward her ample chest… He almost growled aloud at the memory. He had literally seen red and the anger and passion that had sprung up in himself, with the accompanying release of power, had felt simultaneously frightening and enlivening. Mamoru considered himself someone who had a good grasp on his emotions, meaning that he kept them at bay. He despised excessive displays of emotion, mainly because he had trouble expressing emotions himself. Not that he would ever admit that.

So why had he responded in such a way? He had acted quite possessive. The idea of some other man touching her made his blood boil. He had never, ever felt that much emotion toward one person and it truly frightened him. He decided to save these thoughts for later and focus on the situation on hand, like Usagi being the Moon Princess. He glanced over at her to see how she was taking the piece of information, realizing somewhere in the back of his mind he was neither questioning Zoicite's loyalty or knowledge, nor the idea of Usagi as the Moon Princess. She did rather fit the almost image he had glimpsed in his dreams.

_Sailor Venus! _He had forgotten about her. If Sailor Moon really was the princess, then it was obviously possible for the princess to be a Senshi. That would mean that Venus could potentially be a decoy. He briefly thought back to their conversation and the way she had glanced over at Sailor Moon when she had been pondering his claim to know the princess. He wanted to slap himself. Sailor Venus _was_ a decoy and if she had contacted the other Senshi…then he was going to be in a world of hurt.

He could worry about that later. Right now Sailor Moon was more important and she seemed to be going into a state of shock. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wide, staring in complete surprise at Zoicite. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, attempting to speak, before finally letting out a scream.

"NO! That can't be true!" she said wildly. "I can't be the Moon Princess! I'm…I'm…I'm useless! I can't fight, I'm terrible at school, I eat too much, I'm a crybaby, I'm klutzy, I'm cowardly, I'm…"

Tuxedo Kamen gaped in shock. Sailor Moon's tirade had been cut off by a slap to her face. Zoicite towered above her, looking furious.

"Don't you ever let me hear such things come from your mouth, Your Highness!" he shouted at her. "Half of the things you mentioned aren't even faults and they have nothing to do with possessing a royal title or being useful! Does it matter if you're not a good student? Does it matter if you're not graceful? These things can be improved and have no bearing whatsoever on your self-worth! I swear to you, whoever made you feel this way about yourself will be punished by my hand!"

Tuxedo Kamen felt a pang of guilt and foreboding at that promise.

Sailor Moon stared up at the former Dark Kingdom warrior, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"How can I feel worthy if I don't have any good qualities? How can I have confidence in myself if I can't perform?" she whispered sadly.

Zoicite's face softened as he gazed down at her. "Princess, has it ever occurred to you that you have it backwards? You don't have confidence in yourself because you can perform well, but you can perform well because you have confidence in yourself."

Sailor Moon gasped. Was that it? Was that the secret? She thought about the other Senshi and their abilities. Ami's intelligence, Makoto's strength, and Rei's gracefulness…did they have these abilities simply because they were confident? Not necessarily, she mused. Some things must come naturally, but the ability to use their strengths…that must come through the confidence that they could. So her supposed lack of ability didn't come from…well, lack of ability, but rather lack of confidence.

Zoicite smiled as he saw the understanding dawn in her eyes. "That's right, Princess. That's all you need. And never belittle yourself for things such as eating or crying. What really matters is what kind of person you are, and you are a wonderful person. You always put others first, and you are always willing to face your fears for the greater good. These are traits I noticed in you during the Silver Millennium. They also stem from confidence. You recognized these positive traits within yourself, and you confidently worked to develop them. I know you can do the same thing now, because I still observe these traits within you. You have no reason to think little or yourself."

Sailor Moon began sobbing harder now, though this time not in sorrow, but rather in relief. Zoicite was right. That's all she needed this whole time. And if others, _like Mamo-baka,_ she thought irritably, tired to tell her otherwise, that was their problem, not hers. Furthermore, being the Moon Princess proved that she was indeed needed by the Senshi. _Though I suppose that doesn't matter, really, _she thought. _Being a part of the Senshi team really shouldn't have been a factor in my self-worth._

Compulsively, she reached out hugged Zoicite, burying her head in his chest. He was surprised at first, but then smiled down at her gently and wrapped his arms around her.

Tuxedo Kamen suddenly felt jealously rise up in him once again, and had to restrain himself from jumping Zoicite. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt now that Zoicite was on their side. However, that didn't stop that feeling that he, not Zoicite, should have offered her those words of comfort and should be holding her in his arms right…._WHAT? _

He shook his head to clear it. Of course he wanted to tell her those things. He then could feel like he had mended all the wrong things he had done towards her. It was nothing more than that. _Nothing_, he strongly reassured himself.

He felt slightly awkward, standing there watching Zoicite hug Sailor Moon, so he busied himself with collecting the Rainbow Crystals from the muddy ground. He stared at the dirt encrusted crystals now in his hands. What were they supposed to do with them?

He turned to Zoicite, who was staring at him strangely.

"What?" he asked, a bit concerned with the penetrating stare he was receiving.

Zoicite's eyes narrowed. "We'll talk later," he said, a little coldly.

Tuxedo Kamen almost gulped at that promise. He had the feeling that Zoicite knew him quite well and he was not looking forward to any sort of intense probing by the blond man. He decided to change the subject.

"Do you know what the purpose of these crystals is? They're supposed to form the Imperium Silver Crystal, aren't they?" he said, offering the bunch to Zoicite, noting again how strange it was that he trusted the man so completely.

With one arm still wrapped around the still weeping Senshi, he reached his other for the Rainbow Crystals. "I think we need to…"

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"

Tuxedo Kamen felt a sharp burning sensation in his hand, forcing him to drop the crystals. He grasped his hand in pain, looking toward the source of the voice. _CRAP!_ he thought, as he saw four very ticked off Sailor Senshi, including a very menacing looking Venus, wielding her "love-me" chain.

He could only imagine what they must think of him now. He attacked Sailor Venus, kidnapped their leader, and now here he was, handing all seven Rainbow Crystals over to Zoicite, who had just grabbed Sailor Moon roughly and had put himself between her and the advancing Senshi.

"Alright, Tux-boy, Blondie, I suggest you let Sailor Moon go and slowly…wait. Where's the other guy?" asked Venus, glancing about warily.

"Right behind you, ladies," came a mocking voice from behind the confused Senshi.

They whipped around, only to be met with a huge blast of energy. The Senshi let out screams as they flew through the air, coming to a rough landing on the wet ground.

"Kunzite-sama!" gasped Zoicite, seeing his, now former, mentor appear from the shadows.

Kunzite coolly assessed the situation, smirking down at four prone Senshi at his feet and at the shocked trio standing before him.

"Queen Beryl informed me of you treachery, Zoicite, and the Dark Kingdom does not tolerate traitors," he stated coldly.

Zoicite growled. "You're the traitor, Kunzite! Your loyalty lies with Prince Endymion, not with that witch! She's forced you to be her minion! You know the truth, I know you do! Fight off the lies clouding your mind!"

Kunzite's eyes narrowed. "Lies are clouding your mind Zoicite, and for that, you will pay dearly."

Kunzite lifted his palms, preparing an energy attack, but Zoicite and Tuxedo Kamen had been expecting that and quickly launched attacks of their own. Kunzite immediately changed tactics and used his power as a shield, ducking down under the intense onslaught of energy.

"Princess," Zoicite hissed over his shoulder, "if we distract him, can you use your wand to heal him too?"

Sailor Moon blinked back the remaining tears from her eyes, pulling herself out of the dumb shock she had felt since the Senshi's arrival. "I don't know. I used up a lot of energy healing you. I don't know if it will work."

Zoicite frowned. They couldn't kill Kunzite, but if they couldn't heal him…"Please try," he asked, a note of desperation in his voice. "It's our only chance."

Sailor Moon nodded mutely, understanding well the consequences of failure.

Kunzite soon felt the energy attack lessen and then ease off entirely. He looked up, quickly preparing his own attack, but was soon forced back into a defensive position as Tuxedo Kamen and Zoicite again combined forces against him.

He cursed under his breath. Since when did that tuxedoed freak gain useful powers!? Suddenly he heard Sailor Moon chanting one of her attack phrases. "MOON HEALING…"

_Oh, no you don't, _he thought, coming to a quick decision.

He leaped forward, grabbed the nearest Senshi, and quickly vanished.

"What the...?" gasped Zoicite, ceasing his attack. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon did the same, their facial expressions quickly exhibiting horror.

Kunzite reappeared above the group, hovering in the sky with an unconscious Sailor Venus in his arms. He smirked down at their shocked expressions.

"You will all reconvene here at the same time tomorrow night, detransformed, prepared to give me the Rainbow Crystals," he proclaimed. "If you don't…" he trailed off, glancing down at the prone Senshi in his arms. "Well, I'll leave that to your imaginations."

He vanished in a cloud of smoke, returning to the Dark Kingdom, Venus in tow.


	9. Chapter 9

Tuxedo Kamen finished his cup of coffee in one gulp, and then immediately went back into his kitchen for seconds. The early morning sunlight peeked mockingly at him through his living room blinds, which he had pulled back to avoid a draft from his shattered glass door. He had been up all night, dealing with this complete mess, and he had hardly slept during the previous week. He had barely managed to bring the three unconscious Senshi back to his apartment without himself collapsing into blissful oblivion on the way home. Zoicite had quickly noticed this and had graciously volunteered to carry two Senshi, hauling Mars onto his back and carrying Mercury bridal style. Mamoru had grabbed Jupiter and Sailor Moon had ran off, saying that she needed to write notes to her parents and Mars' grandpa, in order to explain their absence in the morning. He had been reluctant to let her go by herself, his mind flashing back to the bridge incident, but she had turned her large soulful eyes on him and had promised solemnly to return.

That was how he ended up alone in his apartment with a former Dark Kingdom warrior, three out cold Senshi, and a cranky talking cat. The talking cat had been a huge surprise. He had been shocked when Usagi's pet had suddenly started attacking his leg, but had almost fainted when she began yelling at him. Sailor Moon had quickly defused the situation, explaining the kidnapping, the garbled message and Zoicite's loyalties, all without revealing that she was the princess. He and Zoicite had exchanged a glance, but quickly made up their minds to respect her wishes on this issue. Luna had glared at them suspiciously, but had accepted her charge's explanation.

Ever since they had arrived back at his apartment, Zoicite had been none too subtly attempting to corner him. Mamoru had been finding things to do to avoid the confrontation, such as making sure the Senshi had plenty of blankets, sweeping up the broken glass, making coffee… he was fast running out of excuses. Maybe Luna was hungry?

Mamoru felt a presence behind him and turned around to find Zoicite staring down at him. Mamoru instinctively gripped his mug of coffee, treating it like some ward against evil. He did not want to talk about…well, come to think it, he wasn't exactly sure what Zoicite wanted to talk about, but he knew it involved Sailor Moon. "If you're done cowering from me, we need to talk," Zoicite stated, with a voice of finality.

Mamoru sighed. It was better to get it over with sooner than later, he supposed. He poured Zoicite a cup of coffee and then headed to his living room. The two men sat down across from each other, Luna watching the exchange warily from her post on Mamoru's counter.

"I think I'll be blunt and to the point," began Zoicite. "You love Sailor Moon, but for some reason you don't want to admit it."

Mamoru started choking on his coffee. He was pole-axed that his companion seemed to think he was in _LOVE!? _ "I don't love Usagi! I…" he was suddenly interrupted by a furious Luna.

"You _knew _Sailor Moon was Usagi and you still treated her like you did!?" Luna all but hissed.

Mamoru stared at the cat. Why would that mean anything, unless… His face suddenly turned white.

"That's right, Chiba-san, we know exactly who you are. We came to your apartment earlier looking for Sailor Moon. Your identity wasn't that hard to figure out." Luna said haughtily.

"I didn't know she was Usagi until tonight," he weakly defended himself.

"How exactly did you treat her, Master?" demanded Zoicite, an angry glint in his eye.

Mamoru shrunk beneath the heated gazes of the warrior and the cat. Finally the guilt that had been eating him all night came forth. "All right, it was my fault!" he screamed. "I'm the reason she jumped off the bridge! I didn't mean for her too! It was just…just…I didn't think it was fair! I had to work hard for everything in my life and she gets everything dumped into her lap and then doesn't show a shred of gratefulness for it! I mean, that's what I used to think…before tonight…" he trailed off, feeling sick inside.

Zoicite and Luna stared at him in dumb shock. "Usagi…Usagi jumped off a bridge tonight? She tried to kill herself?" Luna whispered, staring up at him, her eyes begging him to contradict her.

Mamoru nodded slowly. Oh, gods, how was he going to fix this? He knew Zoicite's pep talk had really helped her, but he knew it would take more than a few encouraging words to entirely pull her out of her depression. When she found out he was Tuxedo Kamen…

His thoughts were abruptly cut off as he found himself sprawled face down over his couch with a throbbing jaw. Tears involuntarily pricked his eyes as he turned around to stare at the tight-lipped Zoicite. He was furious.

"You treated your lover like garbage because you were jealous? You're not a child, Master! How could you do such a thing?"

Suddenly Mamoru was angry. "She's not my lover! Why do you keep saying that?!"

"She was your lover during the Silver Millennium! I know that your past life should not dictate what happens in this one, but the same traits you fell in love with in the past are the same ones she still possesses! Furthermore, based on your reactions tonight, I know you still care about her!" Zoicite shouted.

He calmed himself and continued on. "I don't think you treated her badly only because you were jealous. There has to be another reason. You seem genuinely afraid to have feelings for her."

Mamoru again stared up at Zoicite in surprise. This man could read him like a book!

Zoicite smirked down at him, knowing what his prince was thinking. "We were very close during the Golden Kingdom. I know you quite well, Master."

He turned around, leaving Mamoru to his thoughts, and went into the kitchen for some ice. Mamoru sat on the couch, nursing his aching face where Zoicite had punched him. He didn't resent him for it, though. He sure did deserve it. Mamoru glanced over at Luna, who was staring brokenly off into space. His guilt increased at the sight. He didn't know Luna very well, but he had rarely ever seen Usagi without Luna in tow. The pair obviously cared about each other.

Zoicite returned and handed Mamoru a plastic bag filled with ice. Mamoru accepted it gratefully and placed it gingerly on his throbbing face.

Zoicite seated himself next to Mamoru this time and stared him straight in the eye and gently asked, "Are you having problems with your family in this timeline, Master?"

Mamoru froze, Zoicite having hit on the one topic he wanted to talk about least, even less than he wanted to talk about Usagi. Zoicite noted the reaction, and continued to press him. "Tell me, Master. Whatever problems you're having with your family seem to be your reason for hurting Sailor Moon. You've obviously had a difficult time growing up based on what you said earlier, and you resent her because she has everything you had to work for. This is also why you have a difficult time showing her affection. You've never received affection yourself."

"My family is the reason I resent her and the reason I love her?" Mamoru sneered, hoping by his negative reaction to deter Zoicite from probing deeper. He did not want to talk about this!

Zoicite nodded, completely undeterred. "Yes, Master. You do care for her, but you don't know how to express yourself, so instead you treat her badly in an effort to ignore these emotions, as well as to make yourself feel better about your past."

Mamoru didn't have anything to say to that. He knew Zoicite was right, but he was terrified to admit it. Admitting he was right, meant admitting his feelings for…No, he wouldn't think that. He opened his mouth to contradict his companion, but was suddenly shocked when Zoicite reached over and took his hands in his own. Mamoru stared down at their clasped hands, feeling awkward at the physical contact.

"Please, Master, tell me!" Zoicite said pleadingly. "I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you talk to me!"

Mamoru shot his head up, about to retort that he didn't need any help, but the look in Zoicite's eyes gave him pause. Zoicite had been nothing but a friend to him tonight, possibly one of the best friends he had ever had. Of course, that wasn't a difficult position to claim, considering Mamoru's only friend was Motoki. Yet ever since Sailor Moon had healed him, all his efforts and attention had been focused on Mamoru. He had quickly grasped that Mamoru had a problem, one that was affecting his relationship with Usagi, and had been doing everything in his power to get to the bottom of it. Nothing Mamoru had said went unnoticed by the blond man, who had quickly pieced together the root of Mamoru's troubles, and was now more intent than ever in helping his prince.

"Please, Master," Zoicite repeated, this time more softly. "Please…"

Mamoru could feel his stubbornness melting, but he really didn't want to relive the pain of his past again. More importantly, he didn't want to open up to anybody. He was terrified if he ever let anyone in, that person might reject him or would somehow become lost to Mamoru forever. However, the soft sounds of Luna's sobbing finally caused him to break. If by helping himself, he could help Usagi…

"My parents…my parents…died in a car crash when I was six years old," he choked out, closing his eyes, as if that action could block out the pain.

"Oh, Master," he heard Zoicite whisper, his grip on his hands increasing.

"I was in the car with them. I remember waking up in a hospital, and a doctor telling me they hadn't survived. That's actually the first thing I remember. The crash gave me amnesia. I…have no idea what my parents were like. I don't even remember what they look like."

Mamoru could feel the painful memories taking their toll on him, and he struggled in vain to keep back his tears. "I have no other living relatives, so they sent me to live in an orphanage. I stayed there for twelve years and no one adopted me…no one…"

Suddenly the dam broke, and Mamoru began openly sobbing, Zoicite reaching over to embrace his distraught prince.

Mamoru cried for quite a long time, letting out the painful emotions he had kept locked away for far too many years. When he was finally too exhausted to weep anymore, he pulled away from Zoicite's embrace and roughly rubbed his eyes. He was mortified beyond belief that he had just sobbed onto another man's shoulder and he was sure that Zoicite was going to pity him now, something he most assuredly did not want. He was surprised then, by Zoicite's response.

"Master, I understand how terrible this situation must have been for you and I regret tremendously that I was not there to help you through your pain. However, your past does not excuse your actions towards your princess. Just because her childhood turned out more fortunate than yours is no reason to make her feel little of herself. Why would you want to put someone else through the pain and sorrow that you went through?"

Mamoru stilled as he heard the truth in Zoicite's words. He had been extremely hypocritical, bemoaning how people had mistreated him, yet he himself mistreating another. He looked down in shame, unable to look Zoicite in the eye.

"What can I do…what can I do to make it better?" he asked brokenly. "I never wanted her to kill herself. Never."

"I would suggest you start by showing her your true feelings. Don't be afraid to express them. You may have been rejected in your past, but it is irrational to think that everyone you care for will reject you. I most certainly don't reject you and pledge to be friend, no, brother, in this timeline, just as I was during the Golden Kingdom. I will always remain by your side, Master."

Mamoru looked up at his companion, words failing him as he tried to express his gratitude for such a proclamation. Mamoru had been convinced that no one truly cared for him and had thus been afraid to show any sort of affection for another person. It had taken him a very long time to let even Motoki become his friend. Yet Zoicite's actions tonight, and his desire be Mamoru's friend, despite how terrible a person he had been to his princess, had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders.

Zoicite seemed to understand though, and a meaningful look passed between the two men.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt you, but I'm getting very worried about Sailor Moon," said Luna, looking a bit anxious.

Zoicite and Mamoru quickly glanced towards the clock. She had been gone for almost two hours. "We should go look for her," stated Zoicite, getting up from the couch. Mamoru followed suit.

"Wait, I'll go. I know what route she was going to take, I'll be able to find her quickest."

Mamoru frowned. "I think one of us should go with you. If she's in danger, you won't be able to help her much."

Luna nodded. "Normally, I would agree with you, but she's probably taking her time because she wanted to think. I doubt it's anything serious. Besides, it'll be harder for the two you to travel in the daylight and I think both of you will need to be here if the Senshi wake up. They still consider you the enemy and it may take two of you to overpower them."

Mamoru and Zoicite still weren't convinced. Noting their reluctance, Luna suddenly flipped through the air, using her magic to conjure a baby pink electronic device.

The pair of men looked at it confusedly. "This is one of the communicators I gave to the Senshi. If Sailor Moon is in danger, I'll contact you immediately."

Mamoru nodded, reluctantly giving Luna his consent to go. She quickly turned around and slipped through his drapes and into the morning light. Mamoru stared at the spot where she had disappeared, his emotions still reeling from his chat with Zoicite. He suddenly felt his hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you rest a bit, Master? You'll need your strength tonight."

Mamoru shook his head. "I think Luna's right and we'll both need to be awake if the Senshi wake up. Besides, I could use a bite to eat."

Zoicite nodded and the two men headed to the kitchen. Mamoru pulled out his apron, preparing to cook, but Zoicite staunchly refused, insisting that Mamoru sit down and rest.

He lounged at one of the bar seats at his counter and stared as the tall warrior nimbly set about making breakfast. If he wasn't so drained, Mamoru was sure he would be laughing at the sight of his former nemesis wearing an apron and making him food. He could hardly believe how drastically things had changed overnight. Suddenly remembering the events of the past few hours, Mamoru pulled over his fruit bowl and used its reflective surface to stare at his face. Sure enough, a bright gold circle with a cross in the middle of it glowed from atop his mask. He reached out a gloved hand to trace the sigil, wondering briefly if he'd have to explain to everyone why he had chosen to get a tattoo on his forehead.

"Zoicite," he said slowly, noting how unusual it seemed to say that name without shouting, "What does this mark mean?"

Zoicite looked up from the rice he was steaming, opened his mouth to answer, but then his face suddenly took on an expression of shock. Mamoru whirled around in alarm, eyes darting around to see what had caused the reaction in his companion, conjuring a rose automatically for defense.

He gasped in shock as well, staring at the person who had just walked through his balcony door.

Sailor Venus stood, completely soaked, with a large bruise on her face, wet, mussed up hair clinging to her skin, and a white cat perched under her arm. Her shocked expression matched their own.

"She escaped?" he whispered to Zoicite, incredulous.

"That's impossible," Zoicite whispered back. "Queen Beryl gives the power to teleport to and from the Dark Kingdom. She couldn't have escaped on her own. Kunzite might have brainwashed her, then sent her back here to fight us."

Mamoru groaned at the thought. If that were the case, then they would have to take down a Senshi and hold her until Sailor Moon returned to heal her. Apparently Zoicite had the same thought, for he quickly launched an attack, slamming the shell-shocked Venus into a wall, knocking her unconscious. The feline in her arms didn't fare much better.

Mamoru leapt to his feet and quickly went over the fallen hero, checking her for injuries. "She's fine," he reported, "Just unconscious."

Zoicite, who had joined him, looked relieved. "Good. That's all what I wanted. Do you have something we can tie her with?"

Mamoru nodded and went to his desk to fetch some duct tape. It didn't take the two men long to tie her to a chair, which turned out to be a good thing, as she started stirring as soon as they had finished. As they waited for her to fully come to, Mamoru picked up the crumpled cat and laid him gingerly on his sofa, noting his bandaged paw. He hoped Zoicite's blast hadn't made it worse. He suddenly heard Zoicite gasp.

"What is it?" asked Mamoru, leaning up from his sofa.

"I just realized…Kunzite couldn't have brainwashed her. When you brainwash someone, you have to destroy all their previous memories and replace them with new ones, otherwise they may try to fight against the dark energy. She knew the way back to your apartment, so she can't have been brainwashed. It's more likely that Kunzite put some sort of homing device on her and then let her go."

Mamoru paled at those words. That was his plan then! He wasn't going to wait until they returned to the park, well-rested and conceivably with some clever plan to heal him, like they had done Zoicite. He had decided to put a tracking device on Venus, so she would lead him right back to the Rainbow Crystals, where the heroes would all be vulnerable and exhausted. Both men glanced around warily, clearly expecting Kunzite to make his appearance at any minute. The sight they were met with caused them both to jump back in shock.

Standing in the doorway to Mamoru's bedroom stood Sailor Jupiter, with a scowl on her face and her electric attack clearly posed and ready to be launched, small lightning bolts of power leaping from her fists and from the antenna coming out of her tiara.

"Alright, boys, unless you want ten thousand volts of electricity pulsing through your bodies, I suggest you step away from her. Slowly."

Tuxedo Kamen ground his teeth together. They didn't have time for this! Kunzite could be here at any minute! However, he knew that anything he said might set off the volatile Thunder Senshi off and he decided to comply, making his way slowly away from the blond Senshi. Zoicite did the same.

As soon as she was satisfied at their distance, she slowly walked across the room toward the bound Sailor Venus, keeping her eyes on the two men the whole time. She shocked the pair again when she kept one hand at the ready for an attack and then used the other to rip apart the tape restraining her fellow Senshi.

Sailor Venus slowly stood up, clearly still in pain after Zoicite's attack, and then locked her heated gaze with the two wary men.

"That's the second time I've been tied up today. Let's see how you like it."

Jupiter suddenly grinned, realizing what was coming. "Back to back, gentlemen," she ordered, smirking as Tuxedo Kamen and Zoicite were forced to comply.

As soon as the pair were in position they heard a shout of, "VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!", and then a bright golden rope wound its way around their bodies with enough force they fell painfully to the ground, bound together, letting out grunts of discomfort.

"That felt _good," _Venus said gleefully, happy now that she was getting her revenge.

Tuxedo Kamen was becoming increasingly anxious. If Kunzite showed up now…

"Call Luna," Zoicite suddenly spit out.

The Senshi turned away from their victory high fives, and stared at Zoicite, stunned expressions on their faces.

"What?" questioned Venus, clearly not expecting such a demand from her captive.

"Call Luna," he repeated. "She'll explain everything."

The two Senshi were still staring at Zoicite as if he had grown another head.

"Just do it!" Tuxedo Kamen snapped. They were wasting precious time, thanks to this massive misunderstanding.

Jupiter, still staring at them confusedly, reached for her communicator, only to hear its familiar beeping noise. She opened it before she realized that it wasn't her communicator, but rather another one, sitting on the countertop. Venus retrieved it and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she asked, both her and Jupiter glancing at it questioningly.

Suddenly they heard Luna's frantic voice. "Zoicite! Tuxedo Kamen! It's Sailor Moon! I can't find her anywhere! "

Mamoru felt Zoicite stiffen behind him as panic rose in his own chest. "Did you try reaching her on the communicator?" Zoicite asked, ignoring Venus and Jupiter's shocked gasps, and wondering why Luna hadn't thought to do that before she left.

"Yes! She's not answering! We have to look for her!" Luna sounded close to tears.

Mamoru felt a feeling of dread settle in his stomach and tears prick his own eyes. If Usagi had killed herself…he knew he would follow in her steps, because there would be no way that he would ever, ever forgive himself.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Hey, sorry guys for the huge delay in updating! I have numerous reasons, including life, a computer virus, and the fact that this chapter was really hard to write. My thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! I never expected to get over 100 reviews. Thank you!

Sailor Moon yawned tiredly. She was slowly sauntering back to Tuxedo Kamen's apartment, kicking a stray pebble in front of her she did so. She could see the morning sun making its way above the horizon, much too early in her opinion. She'd have to take to the rooftops soon in order to avoid civilians, but she wasn't sure if her body would hold out on her. The adrenaline rush she had gotten after Kunzite's attack had faded, leaving her more tired than before. She wanted nothing more than to go back home, crawl into her snug bunny comforter and forget the whole night had ever happened. She had seriously considered it, but her thoughts about Sailor Venus held her back.

It was her fault Sailor Venus had been taken to the Dark Kingdom. She was pretty sure Zoicite and Tuxedo Kamen would contradict her if she voiced her thoughts, but that didn't make them any less true. If she had reacted quicker, without Zoicite prompting her to do so, she could have prevented Venus' kidnapping in the first place. Her guilt from the situation brought back her feelings of worthlessness full force.

She had felt so relieved when Zoicite had pointed out to her she no longer needed to feel bad about herself. Who cared if she ate too much or overslept? She was still a good person at heart. Even so, she thought sadly, that didn't excuse her lack of action tonight. She might have good intentions when she faced the Dark Kingdom, but she hadn't forgotten the saying that the path to hell was paved with good intentions. She knew any of the other Senshi, had they been in possession of the Moon Wand, could have healed Kunzite, and then all would be well.

Why couldn't she be the warrior she was supposed to be!? Self-confidence or no, her position required her to perform well, because the consequences of failure…

She briefly wondered now if what Zoicite said was true. Just because she believed she could do well as Sailor Moon, didn't necessarily mean she could. Once again she pondered her position. Why did Luna choose her to be Sailor Moon? Did it have something to do with her being the Moon…

She suddenly came to a dead stop in the middle of the sidewalk, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her fists tightly. She was the Moon Princess! Why her!? She was the last person anyone would suspect of being a princess and she most certainly didn't deserve the title, no matter what Zoicite said. Sure, she might be kind-hearted, but you needed far more than that to be a princess. She fought back tears as she thought about the Senshi's reactions to the news. They would no doubt be disgusted with her.

She'd have to tell them eventually, however. It wasn't right to make them all go on a wild goose chase searching for their liege lady when she was right under their nose. However, Usagi first wanted to prove herself before she revealed her other identity. Perhaps, despite her doubts, she would take some of Zoicite's advice and apply it to this goal. If she was confident she could behave like a princess and be a better Sailor Moon, then she might be able to succeed. If she was still a failure after trying, though…

She shook her head, clearing it of these thoughts. She wouldn't think about failure, she had to think about a way she could prove herself.

Her head shot up suddenly as an idea popped into her head. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, thinking it through, completely ignoring the few squawking bystanders who had finally noticed the lone superheroine loitering on the sidewalk.

She could set a trap for Kunzite. If she headed to the park now, she'd have a couple of hours before it opened to survey the area where the attack occurred. If she came up with her own plan for rescuing Venus, she could simultaneously fix her mistake and prove her worth to her fellow Senshi.

Forgetting her aching body, she leapt up and punched the air victoriously. Suddenly realizing she had gained the attention of commuters on their way to work, many of which were now shamelessly taking photos, she gave them her trademark "V for Victory" sign, winked, then jumped to the rooftops, applause following her wake.

* * *

Kunzite looked gleefully around at his options in the torture chamber. A smile broke his stoic face as he decided on the rack. He smirked down at the prone girl in his arms. This was going to be _fun._

He laid the golden Senshi on top of the cruel device, licking his lips in relish at what was to come. The rack was his favorite torture device because it not only provided the immense physical agony of having a victim's limbs slowly pulled apart from their body, but it also provided psychological torture. He always got a sick satisfaction at the dawning looks of horror on the faces of his helpless foes as they realized he wasn't going to stop turning the wheel and the blood curdling scream that always erupted when the loud sound of their joints snapping apart echoed around the room. Oh, yes, he was going to enjoy this.

He grabbed one of Venus' dainty hands and yanked it above her head locking it securely in place. He reached over to do the same with the other, when suddenly a vision swam before his mind.

"_My Lord, I do believe you are broaching upon the boundaries of decorum," a sweet voice whispered in his ear. _

_He took a step back to gaze lovingly at the sight before him. Perfect gold spun locks framed an angelic heart shaped face. Luscious lips pouted up at him as a pair of sparkling blue eyes twinkled in merriment._

"_I must confess, Your Ladyship, that the walls of decorum crumble to dust when I am in the presence of Aphrodite herself," he murmured as he gently laid a kiss in her soft palm._

_The regal woman gasped. "You speak blasphemy! I am not to be compared to the mighty goddess herself!" _

_He chuckled gently at the shocked expression on her face. "I think the goddess would be honored to be compared to this lovely creature she created."_

"_You know not of what you…" she was abruptly cut off, as a pair of strong masculine lips captured hers in a sweet kiss. _

Kunzite leaped away from the Senshi as if he had been burnt. What the hell!?

He stared suspiciously at the Senshi of Love. She must be able to use her powers to play tricks with his mind. However, she was still breathing deeply, clearly unconscious. Perhaps she was able to use this power unconsciously, as a type of defense.

He snorted. If that were the case, then he would have no trouble ignoring these pointless images she planted in his mind. Prepared for a possible mental onslaught this time, he again attempted to lock her other arm in place.

A few moments later he once again tore himself away from her, his eyes wide from what he had seen. He clearly remembered the cool breeze on his skin, the sweet smell and soft feel of the rolling green grass, the songbird melodies that carried from the tall weeping willows down towards the blissful couple soaking up the dappled sunlight that shone through the canopy.

He put his hands to his head, clearly trying to block out the image. Blissful indeed. That image was by no means as innocent as the last one.

He glared at Venus angrily. How dare this insolent girl plant images in his mind!? He completely ignored that she was doing to him exactly what he intended to do to her. After he tortured her to the brink of insanity, her mind would be too far gone to resist the dark energy he would implant within her mind, which would then destroy all her previous memories and replace them with ones crafted to fit the needs of the Dark Kingdom. The injuries she sustained during the ordeal could be easily healed.

In fact, that was the only way to implant forced images into someone else's mind. He frowned, deep in thought. If that were the case, how could she be sending him these visions? He most certainly did not want to witness himself and his enemy making love in some shaded glade! Not that he would have minded making use of her body. He took a moment to gaze appreciatively at her form, hardly concealed in her sailor fuku. However, if he had the time for such indulgences, it most certainly wouldn't be for romantic purposes.

The Dark Kingdom warrior made up his mind to try again, yet one look at the broken Senshi gave him pause. He couldn't torture her like this, not when they'd shared…

Kunzite roared in frustration, picked up an object that looked eerily similar to a Judas' Chair, and threw it against the wall. The crashing sound echoed throughout the chamber, as he clenched his fists and ground his teeth in anger.

They didn't share anything! It was all some sort of horrible trick of the mind. However, as hard as he tried, he could not bring himself to finish restraining Venus to the rack. Somehow, after seeing the intimacy the two had shared in the visions, torturing her just seemed…wrong.

He slammed a fist against the wall, ignoring the pain. He was first in command of all the forces of the Dark Kingdom! Why couldn't he torture one simple woman!?

"Witch," he snarled at her prone form.

If he couldn't torture her, he'd have to come up with some plan. He would have to find some way of using her as a bargaining chip tonight when he confronted the other Senshi. Unless…

He mentally cursed his stupidity. He should have thought of that earlier. He stalked over to the rack, reaching into his sub-space pocket as he did so. He pulled out a pea shaped black object and quickly attacked it to the bright red bow in her hair

He stared down at her face, desperately fighting back an irrational urge to brush her wet hair out of her bruised face. He suddenly felt terrible about launching his attack on her earlier, and began leaning down to kiss her discoloring skin. He straightened suddenly and glared down at the sleeping warrior.

"You'll pay for this spell you've cast over me, I swear it," he snapped, before releasing her arm and transporting the two of them back to the park.

* * *

"I can't believe they kicked us out! And why the hell are we listening to Zoicite!?" groused Mars angrily, from her perch on top of a large office building.

Mercury sighed. Even though she knew she just needed to vent her frustration, Mars had not stopped complaining ever since they had left Tuxedo Kamen's apartment. Well, more like ordered to leave. Mercury had woken up with a pounding headache in a strange bedroom. She could see Mars groggily stirring next to her. The pair had recognized where they were and had cautiously made their way into the living room, only to be met with the sight of Zoicite and Tuxedo Kamen tied together on the ground and the sound of Luna's sobbing coming from Jupiter's communicator.

After that it was a bit confused. Apparently Sailor Moon had gone missing and someone needed to look for her. However, Zoicite, against all logic, had told them they couldn't leave because Kunzite, who Mercury presumed was the warrior who had attacked them, would be arriving soon.

They had all gaped at him for a moment until he had stared pointedly at Venus. "Do you honestly think he just let you go?"

Seeing Venus' confused expression, Tuxedo Kamen had explained that she had been kidnapped. Venus had been shocked for a moment but then jumped into what Mercury was now recognizing as "leader mode". She told her and Mars to go look for Sailor Moon while the rest waited for Kunzite. As Mars had started to protest, Venus had stalked over and literally grabbed the two Senshi by the arms as if they were misbehaving children and then pushed them out the broken glass door.

This was why she was currently sitting on a rooftop with a very cranky Mars and a depressingly quiet Luna, scouting through the hordes of pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Mercury didn't blame Mars, though. She felt like throwing a tantrum herself. Although the others always called her the "brains" of the group, she could not make any logical sense of their situation. Apparently Zoicite and Tuxedo Kamen had defected from the Dark Kingdom, which would explain why the Senshi had been taken back to the apartment and why Zoicite had been tipping them off. Yet at the same time, Mercury could not figure out how Sailor Moon managed to avoid being caught up in this mess, or why Zoicite and Tuxedo Kamen hadn't thought to restrain the Senshi before they could wake up and attack.

She rubbed her temples wearily. She couldn't think about this now; analyzing the situation only raised more questions than answers. Her attention needed to be focused on Sailor Moon right now.

Sailor Moon. Mercury pictured the bubbly blond in her mind's eye, seeing her munching happily on a burger or chatting avidly about Haruna-sensei's latest romantic exploits. Then she tried to picture her jumping off a bridge. She couldn't do it. What would make Usagi want to do that?

Mercury retracted her visor so she could wipe the tears starting to leak from her eyes. Could she have had a cause in it? Maybe she wasn't supportive enough? She had always accepted Usagi as she was, embracing the blond whirlwind that had spun into her life. Maybe that was the problem, though. Usagi was always trying to get her to come out of her shell, to overcome her weaknesses. However, Ami had never put too much effort towards Usagi in that arena. She was just so thankful to have a friend that it didn't occur to her to return the favor. She thought back to Usagi's disappointment over her latest test score, the one that she had actually studied for. She had actually been a little upset about that, but she really shouldn't have let that show. She should have been more encouraging. She should have…

"I know what you're thinking Mercury, and you're wrong, so cut it out," griped Mars, staring impatiently at the street. "If anyone's to blame, it's me."

Mercury turned around, astonished. She should have realized that she wasn't the only one blaming herself for Usagi's act and poor Mars must be taking it the hardest.

Mars' eyes connected with hers. "Do you really think she'd kill herself over you being disappointed in her making a bad grade? You're disappointed when any of us get bad grades."

Mercury looked away, a bit sheepish. Well, Mars did have a point about that. However, Mercury still couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that she somehow had a part to play in Usagi's decision.

She suddenly heard Mars' breathing become unsteady and turned around to see her desperately trying to hold back tears.

"If it was my fault, I'll never forgive myself," Mars whispered, blinking rapidly in an attempt to stop the emotional onslaught.

Mercury's heart broke at her friend's voice. She knew Mars never truly meant any of her biting comments and she was probably closer to Usagi than the others were. She reached a hand over to comfort her despairing friend.

"Rei-chan," she said gently, knowing her friend needed to hear this more than anything right now, "Even if you blame yourself for what happened, I never will."

Mercury meant every word she said. Even if the sole reason for Usagi's decision was Mars' teasing, which Mercury doubted, she knew that Mars never, ever meant for it to go that far. She also knew that Mars now needed the support of her friends to get through this heartache. Mercury, having never had any companions of her own, had vowed she would never leave her friends in their time of need, and she wasn't about to start now.

Mars looked up to see the shining sincerity in Mercury's teary eyes. Even though she hated crying, considered it a sign of weakness, the look in Mercury's eyes finally made her break down.

The two girls clung to one another, mourning for their friend, hoping desperately that they still had a chance to fix her problem, regardless of the cause.

At the moment, neither of them noticed the quietly weeping black feline at their feet.

_You're wrong girls, _Luna thought sadly, _It's not your fault. You weren't the one who tore her away from her safe, comfortable life and tried to turn her into a magic wielding warrior. It's no wonder she tried to end it._

After hearing about what Usagi had almost done, Luna had wanted nothing more to than talk to Usagi face to face, to apologize for the nightmare that she had turned her life into and for how unsympathetic she had been to her newfound destiny. She had been so thankful when Tuxedo Kamen and Zoicite had let her leave without question, so relieved to get a chance to speak with Sailor Moon. Yet now, she only felt that cold dread which she had felt when she realized Usagi couldn't be reached on her communicator.

Luna collapsed wearily onto the roof. If only she could have one last chance to speak to Usagi, to tell her how sorry she was…

She started when she felt herself being lifted up into Mercury's embrace. "Don't feel bad, Luna," the Ice Senshi whispered soothingly, "We'll find her and we'll set everything right again."

Luna only wished that she could feel so assured.

* * *

Zoicite sighed. He couldn't really blame Venus as he would be doing the same thing had their positions been reversed, but it was still damn frustrating!

"Untie you?" Venus scoffed. "I don't think so. If the only reason you told us about Kunzite coming is so that we would trust you enough to untie you, then you've got another thing coming."

Zoicite glared at the two Senshi, who at this moment had very smug looking expressions on their faces as they stared down at the two bound men. He ground his teeth together in frustration. In this position he was practically being handed back to the Dark Kingdom on a silver platter!

"Were you not listening to Luna? Sailor Moon healed him! He's not working for the Dark Kingdom and neither am I!" shouted Tuxedo Kamen from his back.

Venus's eyes narrowed and she stalked over to the masked man. "Sorry for being a bit more cautious than Luna, but she wasn't attacked by you earlier today!"

"Of course, I attacked you! You're claiming to be the Moon Princess when you clearly aren't!" Tuxedo Kamen snapped back.

"And you're claiming to know who she is, when that's impossible!"

"Why is that impossible? The Moon Princess is Sa-"

Zoicite's upper body was violently shoved forward causing his midriff to be pressed painfully against the chain keeping him in place. He looked angrily behind him to see that Venus had roughly shoved her arm between them so that she could wrap her arm around the prince's head and mouth.

"Not so loud. Whisper it to me who you think the Moon Princess is," he heard Venus hiss heatedly into Endymion's ear.

Why was she keeping this a secret? He glanced questioningly up at Sailor Jupiter, who seemed quite put out with being out of the loop. She shrugged back at him and rolled her eyes. This was an interesting development. Surely they should all know who she is so that they could protect her?

"Sailor Moon," whispered the prince, "She's been asking for the Imperium Silver Crystal in my dreams."

"In your dreams," repeated Venus, completely dumbfounded. Zoicite felt her arm move towards his master's eyes and then suddenly heard her exclaim, "Prince Endymion!"

"Who?" asked Jupiter angrily, still clearly upset about her ignorance of the situation.

Zoicite could practically feel Venus' shock emanating off her body. "Oh my God," she gasped, "That means…you're….you're…the Shittenou…"

Zoicite craned his head back to see Venus' eyes glazed over with shock, her mouth repeatedly forming one name: _Kunzite._

Zoicite felt a pang of pity for the Senshi of Love. She shouldn't have had to remember him like that, at least not until Sailor Moon managed to heal him. He hoped against hope that none of the other Senshi remembered….

Suddenly his head jerked up and he stared at Jupiter with an expression of horror on his face. No! The memory of what he had done, forgotten amidst the joy of reuniting with his prince and the stress of the impending battle with Kunzite, filled his mind. His breathing became unsteady as he began to hyperventilate. It didn't matter that he had been under control of Beryl at the time, he had sent those youma to…to… He couldn't finish the thought, but his imagination conjured up the image of his blood brother, kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath as blood flowed down his torso like rain water. Nephrite! He had killed him! He had impaled his own brother!

"What's going on!?" demanded Jupiter, clearly at her wits end. "Who is he? What does he have to do with the Shittenou? Why does he get to know who the Moon Princess is when I don't and why the hell are you looking at me like that!?"

He was dimly aware of Venus staring at him confusedly until understanding dawned on her face. "He's dead , isn't he?" she whispered quietly, saying it more as a fact than a question.

He couldn't answer. He just looked at her with his pain-filled , guilt-ridden eyes. Venus stared back, tears having already begun to cloud her vision.

With a flick of her wrist, she released the power binding the two warriors together. As soon as he was free, Zoicite ran to the nearest bathroom and proceeded to violently empty the contents of his stomach. He sank to the ground and grabbed the toilet, holding it like it was the only thing keeping him grounded in this world. He threw his head back and let out an anguished cry before he collapsed brokenly against the wall, weeping for his weakness , mourning the loss of his brother, and loathing himself for being the murderer he had become.

He didn't know how long he spent crying on the floor, but he suddenly became aware of his master also sitting on the floor beside him. Irrational anger bubbled inside him. He didn't want his prince to comfort him, to tell him it wasn't his fault. He deserved to feel guilty for what he had done. In fact, he didn't deserve to live.

He looked up through bleary eyes at his unmasked master. Endymion looked back and quietly said, "I don't remember him like you do, but I don't think he'd want you to feel responsible for his death."

Zoicite looked away. Endymion was right, Nephrite wouldn't want that. That didn't change the fact that he was still at fault.

"Would you want him to feel guilty about your death if your situations were reversed?"

Zoicite turned back to Endymion. "No," he answered softly, "I wouldn't want him to feel guilty...it wouldn't be his fault."

Suddenly he laughed at the irony. If Nephrite had killed him while under Beryl's control, he would never even think about blaming Nephrite. Beryl would be the one who had essentially killed him. However, he was completely willing to put the blame of Nephrite's death on himself.

He wiped his eyes. "I suppose it doesn't make much sense that I blame myself, but….it hurts so much knowing that it was my hands that did it."

"That's how she wins," Endymion whispered. "She forced your hand, but you're feeling the guilt of the action. Don't give her that power over you."

Zoicite's eyes widened. His prince was right. Beryl would want him to feel guilty over Nephrite's death, even though he had no control over his actions at the time. He felt his resolve harden. He wouldn't let that witch defeat him twice. He would mourn for the loss of his blood brother, but he would wash his hands clean of his death. A weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. He looked gratefully at his master, who seemed to be floundering in awkwardness at the moment. If he didn't know how to handle his own emotions, it was no wonder he had a hard time dealing with others.

Zoicite gave Endymion a watery smile. "Thank you, Master. I…I'm more sorry that I can say that you'll never have the chance to know him in this timeline. "

Mamoru only nodded, not knowing how to answer that. If Nephrite was as good a friend as Zoicite, then he was sorry too. Though it was Beryl he blamed for his death, not Zoicite.

Doing his best to overcome his awkwardness, he helped Zoicite get to his feet, and then dug around his bathroom cabinets for an extra toothbrush. He almost felt like having Zoicite brush his teeth was a waste of time since Kunzite could appear at any moment, but he was sure the two Senshi in his living room would alert them to his presence. He frowned at that thought. Why were they staying in his apartment if Kunzite was about to show up? Wouldn't it make more sense to find the tracking device, lead him to some place where civilians couldn't get hurt, and then destroy it?

He groaned. God, he needed sleep.

"Master?" asked Zoicite, leaning up from the sink. "What's wrong?"

He quickly explained his idea to Zoicite, feeling a great sense of urgency now that he had a plan that didn't involve waiting around like a sitting duck.

Zoicite shook his head. "We have to meet him here first and then lead him off. Even if we leave, he'll still know that Venus stayed in this location for a long period of time. He'll probably leave youma to stake it out. Then what'll happen if the princess comes back here?"

Mamoru's blood chilled at the thought. Usagi was in no shape right now to deal with a legion of youma. He shuddered at the violent images that suddenly appeared in his head at the thought of a worn out Sailor Moon going up against those vicious creatures. He needed a distraction. He decided to ask Zoicite the first question that popped into his head.

"How does Venus know Kunzite?"

Zoicite sighed wearily. "She's his wife."

Mamoru's jaw dropped. That answer defiantly distracted him from his previous musings!

"But…how… and why?" Not that he knew either of them well, but the idea of them being _married, _especially after what transpired in the park was just…weird. Also slightly disturbing and a bit… pedophilic. Wouldn't Venus be as old as Usagi?

Zoicite sighed again and rubbed his temples. "It's a long story."

.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **So sorry for the delay, everyone! Moving back to the United States and starting school again sure took their toll on me! I've actually been working on this chapter for quite some time, but now I finally got the chance to finish it. Thank you so much for all the reviews!

Sailor Moon grinned triumphantly as she landed in the park. What a perfect chance to prove herself! She couldn't wait to see the admiration in everyone's eyes. So engrossed in own happy thoughts, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and accidentally bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed out of habit, bowing low. Then she suddenly remembered that the park was closed and no one should have gotten past the gates.

She looked up expecting to see either a police officer or some sort of hoodlum, but was met with a far worse sight.

Kunzite was grinning down at her with a smile that could only be described as predatory.

Sailor Moon could only gape. Why was he here!? He must have come here for the same purpose she had. Her head began to spin. She hadn't been expecting this at all! She was supposed to come and be the hero, not face off against her nemesis alone!

Without realizing it, tears began pricking her eyes. She was going to lose this fight, proving that she was as worthless as everyone thought.

"How pathetic!" Kunzite sneered at her, "Is this what you do every time you enter a battle, stand there and cry?"

Sailor Moon's head snapped up and gaped at Kunzite's smirking face. "N…n…no!" she managed to choke out past the tears that were now streaming freely down her face. "I don't always…."

She stopped suddenly as she realized what he said was true. She did usually stand there and cry. This thought caused even more tears to fall. Everyone had to pick up the slack for her because she was a crybaby. She _was_ worthless!

"All powerful moon warrior, indeed. Jadeite and Nephrite clearly over exaggerated when they described you. Without your little lackeys here to protect you, you're nothing. Breaking you will be all too easy."

Breaking her!? What did that mean? Her mind brought back the image of what Zoicite had attempted to do to her earlier and she suddenly sank down to the ground in despair. She was worthless; there was nothing she could do to prevent him from hurting her.

She could hear Kunzite roaring with laughter above her. She didn't care. Suddenly a flash of orange caught her attention. She looked up and her eyes widened in shock. Lying crumpled on the ground behind Kunzite's legs was a wet and battered Sailor Venus.

He brought her back? But why? Usagi couldn't make sense of it. Even if he had been trying to set up a trap of own, why do it now, when all the park visitors would clearly notice something amiss?

That wasn't important. Sailor Venus was in arm's reach and she had the chance to rescue her. Sailor Moon felt her resolve harden. Even though she felt completely worthless, she had to try and remedy the situation. After all, it was her fault that Sailor Venus had been captured and if she let Kunzite take her, he would probably force her to tell him where the Rainbow Crystals were. Fortunately, she didn't have them with her. She had let Tuxedo Kamen keep them, since she hadn't felt responsible enough to be their caretaker after dumping them on the ground at Zoicite's feet.

She could still hear Kunzite taunting her from above. She only had one chance to rescue Venus. She looked up at his sneering face from her position on the ground.

"If I come quietly, will you promise not to hurt me?" she asked shakily.

Kunzite laughed. "We'll see. Get up, you worthless excuse for a warrior."

He reached down and roughly grabbed her elbow, attempting to haul her to her feet. When she was raised enough to have control of her legs, Sailor Moon struck. She noted it was a good thing she paid attention when Luna was drilling her on the "Sailor Kick".

Her booted leg swiftly bludgeoned the Dark Kingdom warrior in between his legs. Sailor Moon thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He instantly let her go and groaned deeply, falling to the ground.

Sailor Moon leapt to her feet and quickly grabbed the fallen Senshi. She positioned her arms through Venus' shoulders and then began hauling her backwards through the park. Usagi noted she was making great time, despite the added weight. At least her fear of Kunzite was providing her with a nice adrenaline rush.

She suddenly heard Kunzite roar in anger. Her blood ran cold. What had she been thinking!? There was no way she could take him on her own! "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" she hissed at the prone girl, as she dragged her lifeless body through the park.

Seeing that Venus wasn't going to be gaining consciousness anytime soon, she decided to stash her in some nearby bushes. Hopefully, since Kunzite had chosen to bring Venus back to the park, he wouldn't stop to look for her, and instead try to exact revenge for his…injury.

As soon as she safely deposited the golden Senshi beneath some shrubbery, Sailor Moon turned tail and began sprinting in another direction.

_Come on, Usagi! You need a plan! _she mentally yelled at herself.

If she kept running, he would eventually catch her. Or worse, find Venus. That thought made her stop. She shouldn't be running at all! She should go back and face him and make sure he didn't find her! What had she been thinking!

As soon as she made her decision to turn back, she clearly made out the noises of someone running hastily through the park. Fear gripped her insides again and, without thinking, she leapt into the nearest tree.

_Brilliant, Usagi. Now what? _she berated herself. _I suppose I could throw my tiara at him when he appears…No! Wait! The Moon Wand!_

That was it! All she had to do was wait until he appeared and then use the Moon Wand to heal him! It was perfect! _Until he hears you chanting the activation words and stops you before you can finish, like he did earlier _she reminded herself.

Sailor Moon wanted to cry out in frustration. What was she going to do! She began nibbling on her lip nervously and toying absently with the Moon Wand, which she had taken out of her sub-space pocket in her moment of inspiration.

Kunzite suddenly burst into view. Sailor Moon shrunk back even farther into the shadow of the tree trunk at the sight of his face. He looked livid. His eyes were narrowed to slits and he was clearly gritting his teeth. "Come out and face me, coward!" he almost screamed out at the near empty park.

Usagi fought back the urge to whimper. There was nothing she could do! Perhaps…perhaps if she _whispered _the words to activate her wand….Excitement and apprehension once again bubbled inside her. Would that work? What if whispering reduced the power of the wand? What if he heard her?

Sailor Moon gripped the wand tightly. It had to work. She wasn't strong enough to face Kunzite one on one and Venus was depending on her. It was now or never.

Careful to make herself as inaudible as possible, she slowly began chanting, "_Moon…Healing…Escalation!"_.

Kunzite was already storming out of the clearing when the attack hit him from behind. He fell forward onto all fours, yelling out in pain.

Usagi thought she was going to pass out as soon as she felt the first rush of power leave her limbs. She was too tired and weak to keep a steady flow of power and she could tell Kunzite had realized this too. He wasn't in nearly as much pain as Zoicite had been and he had already turned around to glare in the direction of her hiding spot.

No! She had to do this! She couldn't let him win! She tried to give an extra boost of energy to the wand, but this just served to make her more tired. Kunzite was now raising his arms to prepare for an energy blast.

Sailor Moon squeezed her eyes shut and thought about Sailor Venus, lying broken and battered under a bush because of her ineptitude. She thought of the other Senshi and their disappointment if she failed. She thought back to Zoicite, telling her that all she needed was confidence. She thought back to Mamoru-baka and his low opinion of her abilities. These conflicting emotions of guilt, shame, hope, and anger combined to give her enough resolve for a final push.

She felt an intense burst of power leave the wand, became dimly aware of Kunzite screaming in agony, and then suddenly saw the leaf strewn ground of the park rushing up to meet her as her world was enveloped in darkness.

* * *

_CRASH!_

Another one of Mamoru's plates shattered loudly against the wall. A brief stab of guilt struck the Thunder Senshi, but she quickly shrugged it off. She needed an outlet for her frustration and Mamoru could easily afford more china.

"Jupiter! Calm down! Look, it's nothing personal, it's just…"

Venus was cut off and as she quickly ducked to avoid another incoming plate.

"Nothing personal!? You're telling me it's okay for some Dark Kingdom reject to know who the princess is, but not me!? I'm part of her royal guard!"

Not knowing the identity of the princess was hardly the main reason for Jupiter's anger. She was directing it at the whole frustrating situation the Senshi had found themselves in overnight, but also herself. Usagi's suicide attempt was still a fresh wound and she hadn't yet had time to vent.

She reached for another plate and ended up breaking it in her hands before she had a chance to throw it at the wall. She stared down at the blood seeping through the fabric of her white gloves. She deserved to be in pain. She wasn't sure why, though. She didn't know what she had to do with Usagi's near death, but she was sure she had somehow contributed.

"Hey," Jupiter looked up to see Venus's glaring expression in front of her face. "Are you done throwing plates now?"

Jupiter looked away, still simmering. "Maybe," she spat out childishly.

"I promise it's for her protection. I would tell you otherwise. I didn't even tell Zoicite."

"Then how does he know!?" Jupiter snapped angrily.

Being angry at Venus was good. It gave her a place to vent her pain and simultaneously took her mind off of Usagi.

Venus sighed. "He remembers the Silver Millennium."

Jupiter's mouth fell open. "How?"

Venus bit her lip. "I'm not sure why we remember and you don't." At Jupiter's expression she quickly amended, "I mean, I remember a bit more than you do, but I don't remember completely. It might be because he never died, like we did."

This was making Jupiter even more baffled, and thus angrier. "He never _died? _How do you not die?"

Venus shrugged. "Luna and Artemis never died. They were placed in stasis. The Shittenou were trapped along with the rest of the Dark Kingdom and then reawakened. Our death and rebirth must have affected our memories."

Jupiter huffed. "Okay, fine. That still doesn't explain why we're trusting Zoicite and Tuxedo Kamen, I mean Prince Andaman, or whatever."

"Endymion," Venus corrected automatically. She was now rubbing her temples wearily. Jupiter once again felt a little bit guilty, this time at putting Venus under so much stress right after she'd been kidnapped. But then she decided she didn't care. She deserved some answers!

"I remember Tuxedo Kamen and Zoicite from the Silver Millennium. They were our…" she broke off for a minute as tears pricked her eyes and then finished, "The Shittenou were our allies before Beryl brainwashed them."

Jupiter gasped. That meant…"Jadeite! Nephrite! They...they…"

Venus was nodding her head as tears trailed down her face. They killed them! They killed innocent men! Jupiter felt another wave of self-loathing wash over her. Then suddenly she remembered. The Senshi hadn't killed Jadeite, at least no directly. Beryl supposedly did so for his incompetence. They hadn't killed Nephrite either. Zoicite did.

Jupiter's eyes widened as she looked over towards Mamoru's bedroom, where Zoicite had escaped to the bathroom. No wonder he had been so upset. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to unknowingly kill a friend.

_Oh, wait, _she though bitterly, _yes, I can. _

* * *

"They…were…married." Mamoru still couldn't wrap his mind around it.

Zoicite has turned back to the sink and was splashing some cold water in face. Mamoru knew he probably shouldn't make him go into a stressful story, as this one appeared to be, but he was bubbling over with curiosity.

Zoicite turned back to his prince. "The Senshi and Shittenou were betrothed and married to each other in the past. The monarchs of Terra and Luna both agreed to this arrangement, considering you and the princess were engaged."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Then it hit him. "We were engaged!?"

Zoicite smiled slightly. "Why does that surprise you? You loved her. Still do."

Mamoru looked away, still uncomfortable about his newfound feelings for Usagi. He decided to steer the conversation in another direction.

"What does that have to do with your betrothal to the Senshi?"

"The Senshi and the Shittenou had all taken a vow of celibacy, so that our sole focus would be on protecting our respective monarchs. However, since you and Serenity were engaged, it was decided that your guardians should wed each other so that the eight of us would have a deeper bond with each other. Since we both had an understanding and agreement that our lieges were more important than ourselves, we weren't breaking the purpose of our vows, which was to ensure that no other person was ever more important to us than you and Serenity."

Mamoru could not believe this. He couldn't understand how he could have ever been so important that four men would vow celibacy for him and then be forced into marriage to ensure his protection.

He decided to leave that train of thought for later as well. Maybe he could somehow release Zoicite from his vow, but he doubted he would agree to that with the Dark Kingdom still at large. Then his curiosity got the best of him again.

"So, Venus was married to Kunzite….which one were you were married to?"

Zoicite smile humorlessly. "Mercury," he stated simply.

Sailor Mercury? Mizuno Ami? Mamoru couldn't help but gape at Zoicite again. Quiet, shy Mizuno-san was married to Zoicite? That somehow seemed more unreal than Venus and Kunzite.

"Okay," Mamoru said slowly, not sure if he should ask his next question. "What about Jadeite and… Nephrite?"

Zoicite looked away quickly and Mamoru instantly regretted his question. He should have let the issue drop until Zoicite had some time to heal.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Mars and Jupiter, respectively," Zoicite cut in quickly.

Mamoru's eyes widened in understanding. That's why he had been staring at Jupiter earlier. He had taken the blame for killing her husband.

Suddenly another question struck him. He wanted to hold back, but since Zoicite seemed willing to talk about this now, he decided to finish his questioning. He wasn't really sure how to breach the topic later.

"Did you all…love each other? I mean, if it was a forced marriage…"

"You shouldn't think of it as a 'forced marriage'," Zoicite again cut in. "We were betrothed and we gladly accepted it as our monarchs' wishes."

Mamoru didn't see much of difference.

"As for love…." Zoicite trailed off, sighed, and looked down at his boots. "Kunzite and Venus were very much in love, right from the start. Sometimes I wonder if that was the real reason we were all betrothed…if the monarchs wanted to avoid a controversy…"

Suddenly he stopped, and looked away embarrassed. "I shouldn't have said that. That was disrespectful to Kunzite-sama."

At seeing Mamoru's confused expression, he explained, "Kunzite-sama is the High Shittenou. He is our leader, so to speak."

"'So to speak'?" Mamoru repeated, still confused.

"You are our true Master, but every team must have a hierarchy if it is to function properly. Therefore, we submit to Kunzite and always address him with his proper title of 'lord'".

Mamoru just stared. This was all making his head spin.

"To finish answering your question, Mars and Jadeite also fell in love. We were all somewhat surprised by that development, as they seemed the least compatible out of all of us, but I suppose that is what makes them a good couple. They complement one another."

Zoicite sighed and continued. "Jupiter and Nephrite…accepted one another. That is the best way to put it. They were good friends more than anything else. It would not have surprised me if something were to have developed between them, but I suppose they didn't have enough time before the Fall."

"As for myself and Mercury…we were tolerant of one another."

Mamoru was shocked. Mizuno-san may have been shy, but she was very friendly. Why had she only "tolerated" Zoicite?

Zoicite smiled again, this time with humor, at seeing Mamoru's face. "We did not hold animosity toward each other, if that is what you are thinking. We were simply busy. Mercury was quite the intellectual and was constantly occupied with research or experiments."

This time Mamoru smiled too. "Sound like Mizuno-san, all right."

"Mizuno-san?" Zoicite asked, confused.

"Mercury," Mamoru answered. "In this timeline, her name is Mizuno Ami."

"That suits her," Zoicite commented and then continued his story. "I, too, was also quite busy with my own research. Mercury and I simply accepted our betrothal and subsequent marriage as a matter of course. Neither one of us attempted to pursue anything beyond a working relationship. I suppose if we had done so, something may have developed, but again, there was never the chance."

"Well, you have a chance now," Mamoru pointed out, but then he frowned. Why was he trying to hook him up with the woman he was forced to marry!? Besides, he still thought the Senshi were far too young for the Shittenou.

Zoicite stared and Mamoru in shock for a moment and then chuckled. "We'll see, Master. I doubt either of our personalities have changed much over…"

He stopped as he heard someone approaching the bathroom door. Mamoru tensed up upon hearing it too and immediately took out a rose. Zoicite turned around and held up his hands up for an energy blast.

Suddenly a very annoyed and angry looking Sailor Jupiter appeared in the doorway. Both men simultaneously breathed out sighs of relief and lowered their respective "weapons".

"Sorry for interrupting your big "heart-to-heart," Jupiter spat out, not sounding sorry at all, "but shouldn't Kunzite have shown up by now? Venus has been here for a pretty long time."

Zoicite took in a quick breath. She was right. Kunzite should have appeared by now. Something wasn't right.

"We can't leave," he muttered to himself, deep in thought. If they left, Sailor Moon could return and unexpectedly encounter Kunzite or youma that he might leave to watch the apartment.

"I think," said Jupiter, her anger clearly rising, "that you're just keeping us here so your lackeys can go after Sailor Moon."

Mamoru sighed in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you? He's _not_ working for the Dark Kingdom anymore. He's…working for me," Mamoru finished, a bit sheepishly. He still wasn't comfortable with that relationship.

Jupiter rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's real reassuring, Vine-Boy."

So the Senshi had heard the story about how he had attacked Venus. Perfect.

"You know he's not working for the Dark Kingdom, so stop trying to pick a fight," snapped Sailor Venus, as she too appeared in the doorway.

Jupiter huffed and glared at Zoicite, but refrained from making anymore comments.

Mamoru was momentarily caught off guard. Jupiter was quite the hot-head, so why was she taking orders from Venus? Then he remembered what Zoicite had told him earlier about hierarchy. Could Venus be the High Senshi?

"Zoicite, can you think of any reason why, "she paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "…Kunzite…hasn't arrived yet?"

_She remembers, _thought Mamoru. Mamoru was horror struck. How awful it must be to prepare for a fight, possibly one to the death, against someone you loved? Hatred once again boiled in his veins. That witch would pay for toying with them. He would make sure of it.

"Whoa!" shouted Jupiter. "Did your eyes just start….glowing!?"

Glowing eyes? What was she talking about? Mamoru leaned past Zoicite to look in his bathroom mirror.

"AAHH!" he shouted, jumping backwards. His reflection in the mirror did the same. Not only was the tattoo with the circle and two lines through it still on his forehead, but his eyes were both glowing a bright golden color.

He looked desperately at Zoicite. "What's happening to me!?" he demanded.

"Yeah, what's happening to him?" Jupiter echoed his question, staring at Mamoru warily.

Suddenly the foursome jumped. Mamoru's telephone was ringing.

"Let the machine get it," said Mamoru absently. "What's wrong with my eyes?"

"Nothing is wrong with your eyes, Master. They're simply reflecting the power…"

"_You've reached Chiba Mamoru. Please leave your name and number and I'll return your call as soon as possible."_

Zoicite stopped, confused.

"It's the answering machine," explained Jupiter, impatiently. "Go on. Why are his eyes glowing?"

"If I've reached you, why can't I converse with you now?"

The group collectively gasped. Apparently, Kunzite was nice enough to call before coming over uninvited.

* * *

Please review! I like to know what you all think and if you have any suggestions for improvement!


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **Hello everyone! I'm sorry for my long absence. I've actually been chipping away at this story for a while now, but hadn't realized just how long it has been! Working while in school can do that to you. The next chapter is almost done and I will be posting it soon. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I really appreciate the feedback. Speaking of which...

There are a few things I'd like to address.

A few reviewers have commented that I switch between the times/subplots too much. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll to be more careful with the rest of the story.

One reviewer pointed out that the characters' problems are resolved a little too quickly, such as Usagi's and Zoicite's depression. Although good advice sounds great when you hear it, it does take awhile for the recipient to really believe it and apply it to their situation. I never meant to imply that they were magically cured by a pep talk.

In this chapter, I use the two terms kohai and senpai. I know in Japan these are used to indicate a sort of senior/junior relationship and it's a bit old fashioned to use it in a master/apprentice type of relationship, but, as we have seen, the Shittenou are a bit old fashioned.

* * *

Kunzite woke with a start. He blinked rapidly trying to clear his head and stared confusedly at the tree tops above him. There were a few blissful seconds of nothing, but then memory came pounding through his head like a herd of horses. He let out a roar of anguish and clasped his head in despair. He was a traitor! A traitor to his prince, the Shittenou, his wife…

He rolled over and repeatedly pounded his fists into the muddy ground, screaming, as if the sound alone would block out the images of what he had done. Nothing would ever be able to block out the memories of leading Beryl's army against the prince he had sworn to protect, or tying his wife to a torture rack, or trying to kill…

_Serenity! _His head snapped and looked toward the tree where she had fallen. He quickly blinked the tears away so he could see better in the gloom of the trees. He hadn't even been aware that he had been crying.

There was a man standing over her, posed in some sort of fighting stance, with a fallen tree branch in his hand, which he clearly intended to use as a weapon. Although the stance looked quite intimidating, Kunzite could see fear in his eyes.

"Stay back! I'm a black belt in judo!"

Kunzite did not know what a 'black belt' or 'judo' was, but it didn't matter. He was far more powerful than any modern Terran. He stood to his full height and gave the man a stare which Jadeite had once told him made grown men quiver in their boots.

"Stand down. If I find that you have harmed the princess, your end will not come quickly."

The man was visibly shaking now, but he didn't back down. "N-n-no," he said shakily. "You can't fool me. You're one of those bastards with the monsters! You guys attacked my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago and Sailor Moon saved her. I won't let you hurt her."

Kunzite raised his eyebrows. This young man's paramour must have been a Rainbow Crystal carrier. No wonder he was so distrustful. Although this situation was a little annoying, Kunzite found it a welcome distraction. Focusing on getting Serenity to safety gave him a foothold in the reality of the here and now, so that he did not sink into the despairing guilt that simmered beneath the surface of his mind.

"If I had wanted to hurt her, would I not have already done so?" he questioned logically. He greatly admired this man's bravery and character. Though clearly frightened, he was still completely willing to sacrifice his safety for the princess.

Ever a tactician, an idea began slowly forming in Kunzite's mind. _Completely willing to sacrifice himself…_

Kunzite spoke again, but this time more soothingly, or at least as soothingly as he could come across. "Please. I only wish to seek a healer for her."

"A healer?" gasped the man, still staring at Kunzite suspiciously. "You mean, a doctor? I'm a med student. I checked her out. She's just exhausted. She'll be fine. She doesn't need you," he babbled, still shaking.

Kunzite exhaled deeply. He did not wish to harm the man, but he needed to get Serenity to safety. Beryl would soon realize that she no longer had a hold on him, and would no doubt send a youma to attempt to dispatch him while he was emotionally vulnerable.

"She is in danger here. I must take her to safety. If you do not move, I regret I will have to force you to do so."

The young man bit his lip worriedly. "Why are you trying to help her? I thought you worked for the monsters?"

Kunzite almost smiled at this assessment. Almost. "I have…defected. I work for her now."

His would-be attacker frowned, deep in thought, clearly trying to decide whether or not he could trust Sailor Moon's life to a possible enemy.

"Okay, yeah, okay," said the man, coming out of his fighting stance. "We can….I mean, I was heading to work, but I can call my sister to cover for me. And then, we can…we can take her to my apartment."

The man clearly looked reluctant to do this, and Kunzite didn't understand why they would lodge at his residence, when the city surely had a facility for caring for the wounded. The idea that had begun to form just as quickly began to die. Perhaps this young man was not up to the task Kunzite had in mind for him.

"I would rather if we took her to a wellness house," answered Kunzite stoically.

"'A wellness house?'" the man repeated. "You mean, a hospital? We can't take Sailor Moon to hospital. They'd probably take some blood test to figure out her identity and the media would expose her within minutes."

Kunzite's eyes widened. The healers in this time period could identify a person by their blood? And they would be so stupid as to expose their champion's identity so that the enemy could easily find her?

"Speaking of which, if anybody sees us walking through the city with Sailor Moon, the media will be on us in minutes," he said, biting his lip again, still thinking.

"If I gave you the address, could you…." he paused, and shook his head slightly. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but could you, uh…_teleport…_her to my apartment?"

Kunzite cocked at eyebrow at him. He had clearly misjudged him. This man was able to think clearly, even through a frightening and strange situation. Perhaps he would be able to fulfill the job.

"I will be able to do so. I thank you in advance for extending your hospitality".

Kunzite then inclined his head. "I am Lord Kunzite."

"Lord Kunzite," he repeated, letting out a whoosh of air. "Man, I am in _way_ over my head."

He then took in a deep breath and looked up at Kunzite. "I'm Fuhurata Motoki."

* * *

He looked down at the bleeding and battered l girl in his arms, as he materialized in Motoki's residence. Poor, brave Serenity. She was never meant to be a warrior, and he vowed to personally punish whoever allowed her to take up such a mantle. Surely the Senshi knew better than to let their princess fight? As a crystal wielder, she had the power to defeat the Dark Kingdom. Allowing her to battle without her crystal in hand could easily lead to her death, and thus destroy any hope that Terra had of victory. Something was clearly amiss with this situation.

Although he did not approve of Serenity becoming a Senshi, he was quite proud her. She had thus far had been able to keep the Dark Kingdom at bay, and had now been able tear Beryl's hold away from both him and Zoicite in a single night. It was quite clever of her to feign incompetence earlier, he mused, still experiencing a dull ache from his groins. He had been completely convinced by her tears and had been utterly taken off guard by her attack. Jadeite and Nephrite had been quite correct in assessing her as a formidable opponent.

After laying Serenity gently on a sofa in the middle of the room, Kunzite had begun examining his surroundings, attempting to gather an impression of Motoki based on his residence. How a person kept their home in order could tell a lot about them.

The apartment was rather small, but seemed comfortable. The walls were painted a soft cream and powder blue carpeting ran across the floor. The large room in which Kunzite was standing appeared to be a parlor of some sort, with a sofa, some chairs, and a large black rectangular object toward which all the seats were facing. Kunzite scrutinized it carefully, but could find no reason why this plain object should capture so much attention.

To the back of the apartment was a pair of glass doors leading out into a balcony and next to them in a corner was an enclave clearly identifiable as a kitchen, despite the odd devices littering the counter. Kunzite momentarily regretted that he had not been as curious as Jadeite had been about the modern Terrans' tools. Jadeite had always been impressed with their ability to harness the earth's natural powers to their own advantage. Under the influence of the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite saw no reason to study the powers of a race that would soon be rendered subservient.

Jadeite. Kunzite squeezed his eyes shut at the painful image of his blood brother and the look of horror becoming permanently etched on his face as Queen Beryl rendered the most inhumane punishment Kunzite had ever witnessed. Eternal Sleep. The name was rather ironic, because it reflected the opposite of the punishment. Kunzite could not imagine the horrors that Jadeite must be enduring right now, unable to move, unable to lose consciousness, unable to die….his sanity may already be lost.

Kunzite barely registered the tears leaking out his eyes as he forcefully tore his mind away from this line of thought. He had a job to do now and he needed to be focused.

Kunzite turned toward the other side of the apartment and noticed a doorway leading to a hallway, down which he assumed the bed chamber and toilet must be located. Pictures lined the walls on either side of the doorway, all of which appeared to be painted by a master painter. On closer examination, he realized that these must be examples of a modern art form called "photography", in which Terrans use a device to capture the real image of people or objects. Nephrite had learned about this when it had been his turn to collect energy.

He again forced down the painful memories. He couldn't think about Nephrite either.

Motoki featured in many of the photographs, in which he appeared smiling with various people, whom he assumed to be family members. Suddenly, Kunzite gasped and grabbed one of the pictures off the wall.

Motoki was wearing some sort of uniform and holding a rolled up piece of paper. His eyes were bright and he was smiling widely. Standing next to him, wearing the same uniform and an identical piece of paper, was Endymion.

Kunzite stared at the picture in awe and gently ran his finger over the image of his Master. Emotion threatened to choke him as the raging guilt began licking his insides again.

He would have to find his Master to let him render punishment. No doubt Endymion would execute him for his betrayal, but he fully deserved it and would welcome it. He would only regret that he could not serve and train his prince once again.

He suddenly noticed that although Endymion was smiling like Motoki in the picture, the smile did not entirely meet his eyes.

"Why are you sad, Master?" Kunzite whispered to the photo.

"Um….what are you doing with that picture?" sounded from behind his back.

Kunzite turned around to find Motoki staring at him oddly.

He pointed to Endymion. "This is my Master," he stated simply, assuming that these types of hierarchies still existed in modern Terra.

Apparently, they did not. "Oh. Okay," Motoki fidgeted nervously and his eyes refused to focus on Kunzite. "I…um….I didn't know Mamoru was…into….that sort of thing."

"'That sort of thing?,'" Kunzite repeated, confused. He did not understand Motoki's discomfort.

"He is the prince under which I serve." Kunzite clarified.

Motoki finally looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you have the right person? That's Mamoru. He's not a prince."

"I assure you that he is. What is your relationship to…Mamoru," questioned Kunzite, trying out the name.

"We've been best friends since high school. That's us, at our high school graduation. Why?"

The idea which had previously been forming in his mind became further entrenched. His Master considered Motoki trustworthy enough to be his _best_ friend. This must be some sort of coveted title.

"You must take me to him," Kunzite stated firmly. He would suggest his plan to his Master before he was executed.

"Uh, does Mamoru even know who you are?" Motoki questioned, still looking doubtful. "I mean, he's never mentioned anything about you or even being a prince. What exactly is he the prince of anyway?"

"He knows me very well. I served under him during the Golden Kingdom. He is the prince of this planet, of course."

Motoki stared. "_Mamoru…_is the _prince of the planet_! That doesn't make any sense! No one even knows who he is. And there isn't even a unified world government."

"There used to be during the Golden Kingdom. I do believe that our kingdom existed too far back for anyone to remember it."

"Wait. 'Too far back?'" Motoki repeated, thoroughly bewildered.

"Yes. The Golden Kingdom of Terra was destroyed many eons ago. The prince was sent to the future to be reincarnated."

Motoki stared at Kunzite, dumbfounded.

Kunzite stared back. "You do not believe me?"

"It's a little hard to swallow something like that. _Mamoru…._a reincarnated prince? It's just…unreal."

"I assure you that it is real and it is imperative that I contact him immediately. Can you take me to him?"

"We could give him a call….see if he remembers any of what you're saying…" Motoki trailed off, trying to imagine Mamoru's reaction to being called by a man who referred to him as "Master".

He picked up his phone, dialed the number and then handed the phone to Kunzite. Kunzite stared at it confusedly.

"Um, you can use this to talk to him. You know what a phone is, don't you?" Motoki asked, looking at Kunzite strangely.

"No, but I surmise it is a communication device. Quite ingenious." Kunzite commented, putting the phone to his head.

"Oh, man," muttered Motoki , "This is crazy. I have an unconscious superhero on my couch and a bad-guy turned-good-guy calling my best friend, who is supposedly a reincarnated prince and ruler of the planet. I haven't even had breakfast yet."

Kunzite turned to him, the phone still pressed against his ear. "What does your breakfast have to do with the situation at hand?"

"Uh…never mind. Is he answering?"

"No, I do not hear any-", suddenly Kunzite sucked in a breath. He could hear his Master's voice.

_Hello, you've reached Chiba Mamoru. If you leave your name and number I'll return your call as soon as possible._

"If I've reached you, why can't I converse with you now?" Kunzite questioned, genuinely confused by this greeting.

"WATCH OUT!" Motoki screamed, shoving Kunzite towards to floor, just as the sliding glass doors in the back of the apartment exploded inward.

Kunzite's warrior instincts kicked in a he swiftly rolled over, pulled out his sword, and immediately donned a fighting stance.

"Youma," he spat out in disgust at the creature that had just burst through the glass.

It looked like a houseplant gone horribly wrong.

Long brown roots seemed to functioning as the feet of the creature as it advanced across the carpet. Its main body, which only seemed to be three feet tall at most, consisted of a slimy green trunk, with large pink pods glued to it. There was no head; the top of the "torso" simply opened up to a large gaping maw, with yellowed, razor sharp teeth lining the opening.

The creature turned, and appeared to fix its gaze on Kunzite, although no eyes of any kind were discernible. Suddenly, the large pink pods burst open, giving the impression that flowers had suddenly sprang up over the youma's body. From their center, long green vines sprouted and being flying through the apartment, headed for Kunzite.

Motoki, without thinking, had dove into his kitchen for cover. He positioned himself behind the bar area, so that the youma couldn't "see" him.

He heard a loud swishing type sound, followed by an inhuman gargling noise emitted by the creature. He guessed that Kunzite must be cutting the vines with his sword.

Motoki stared down at his trembling hands in disbelief. He was breathing deeply, trying to steady himself, but couldn't seem to do so. He was paralyzed with fright. For some reason, standing up against Kunzite and the man who had tried to attack Reika did not seem comparable to standing up against some sort of alien monster. He had to pull himself together. He couldn't just leave Kunzite and Sailor Moon…

_Sailor Moon! _She was passed out on his couch, in between Kunzite and the plant creature. Panic quickly began replacing fear. Motoki chanced a peek over the countertop and started at what he saw.

The plant monster was almost directly under the counter and had about ten vines whipping around Kunzite. Kunzite was slicing his sword through the air, as he attempted to move closer to the youma, but every time he cut a vine, it quickly regenerated.

Many more vines had wrapped themselves around Sailor Moon's booted feet and were slowly dragging her over the couch and towards the youma's large, snapping mouth.

Sailor Moon was going to die, while he sat shaking in his kitchen like a coward.

Motoki hardened his resolve. He owed Sailor Moon for saving Reika's life and if a young girl could garner enough willpower to face monsters like this, then he could too.

He quickly ducked back down behind the counter to formulate a plan. He needed a weapon. Butcher knives? No, they were on the other side of the kitchen, and even if they weren't, butcher knives would hardly do any more damage than Kunzite's sword. Broom? Mop? No, same problem.

_Think, Motoki! You're in medical school! You can figure this out!_

He mentally began going over the inventory in his kitchen cabinets: plates, cups, glasses, silverware, kitchen cleaners, boxed food….

_Wait. _The floor and oven cleaners were in the cabinet directly to his left and the creature was right below the bar area behind this back. Motoki quickly came to a decision. He ripped open the door of the cabinet and yanked out a bucket and all cleaners he had.

_If this doesn't work, I don't know what will, _Motoki thought grimly.

Kunzite was fading fast. Every time he hacked a vine, it immediately regenerated. His only hope was to inch forward in the few seconds he had before the vines regrew and get close enough to strike the torso. The enclosed space of the apartment was making this feat extremely difficult and made a tactical retreat impossible, especially considering he couldn't hold Serenity and fight at the same time.

Kunzite gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the sweat dripping into his eyes, as he continued swinging the sword with his tiring muscles. Why wasn't Motoki helping? Had he been injured? Panic began rising through him when the monster wrapped its vines around Serenity's legs. He would never be able to face Endymion if he let Serenity die like this.

Serenity began rising over the edge of the couch as the youma reeled her like a fish toward its gaping mouth.

_NO! Motoki, where are you!_

No sooner had he thought this when Motoki suddenly appeared on the other side of the bar and promptly dumped a bucket a fluid directly into the youma's mouth.

The reaction was instantaneous. The vines attacking Kunzite and holding Sailor Moon immediately started flailing through the air as the creature screamed in agony. Steam began rising from its mouth as it stomped the ground like a child having a temper tantrum. Kunzite seized the opportunity and leapt across the room, his sword held high and ready to strike. Somehow aware of Kunzite's intent, the plant creature turned towards him and violently expelled the contents of its stomach directly into his face.

Kunzite shouted and dropped his sword as the caustic chemicals burned his eyes. He wiped furiously at his face in an attempt to alleviate the burning enough to see. Suddenly a vine wrapped around his neck and pulled him forcefully to the floor. He could smell the putrid breath of the plant monster as his head was forced towards the opening. A shout from the kitchen indicated that Motoki had been similarly captured.

Kunzite desperately pawed the floor trying to find his dropped sword without the benefit of eyesight, but the creature had pulled him too far away to reach it. He then started clawing at the vine choking his neck; the youma didn't seem to notice.

He could feel his head being bent forward and could then feel hot, steaming breath blowing across his head. It was then that he was certain he was going to die. He was only thankful that in this timeline, he had died fighting for his liege lady and not as a part of Beryl's army.

"_Moon Tiara Magic!" _

He barely registered the words before the youma let out one last terrifying shriek, the vines loosened their hold, and the entire body disintegrated into dust.

Kunzite began coughing violently as he felt Motoki lifting him to his feet and leading him toward the kitchen.

"You have to rinse your eyes out before there's permanent damage," he heard Motoki say urgently. "Here's the sink."

Kunzite gratefully splashed water into his stinging eyes, still coughing. Once he felt the pain reside, he leaned up from the sink to survey the apartment, although his vision was still a little blurry. Much of the furniture had been upturned and many of the shelves had been ripped from the wall. Glass covered most of the carpet, which had also been contaminated by the fluid the creature had expelled and slimy trails indicating where it had walked. The ceiling had also suffered with many slash marks where Kunzite had raked it with his sword.

It was a pity about Motoki's residence. At least the three of them were still alive.

_Serenity! _She had been the one to save them from the youma. Kunzite rounded the corner of the bar, to see Motoki gently supporting an extremely weak looking Sailor Moon, as he tried to pick small pieces of glass from her hair.

She looked blearily up at Kunzite when she saw him.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I should have woken up sooner…." she trailed off as her head fell back against Motoki's shoulder.

"'Sorry?'" he repeated. Why was she sorry? She had destroyed the youma.

"She feels guilty she didn't stop it sooner," Motoki explained at Kunzite's questioning look.

Kunzite frowned. That was an odd reaction. Did it matter when she stopped it as long as she stopped it? Furthermore, she was clearly not in the best of health at the moment. Waking up a little later was understandable.

"She also recognized me," Motoki went on, looking concerned. "She even asked if we were at the arcade. That's where I work."

"I would not doubt that she would know you. She is Mamoru's paramour."

Motoki snorted. "Mamoru doesn't have a girlfriend. He's never been open enough to have a committed relationship."

Kunzite raised on eyebrow. "Their souls are knitted together. He would have some sort of attraction to her. It is not possible that you do not know her."

Motoki thought hard for a minute, ignoring the slight guilt he felt at trying to figure out Sailor Moon's civilian identity.

"The only female Mamoru pays any kind of attention to is Usagi." Suddenly, Motoki laughed.

"Usagi?" he kept chuckling, "No way Usagi is Sailor Moon. Usagi's rather clumsy and not a very bright student. She couldn't possibly…."

Motoki stopped his explanation, because a sword was suddenly pressed up against his throat. He looked up to see Kunzite staring down at him murderously.

"If this Usagi is truly the princess, then I suggest you never speak ill of her again, _kōhai_,"

Motoki gulped. If Mamoru was a prince, it would make sense that his girlfriend was a princess. "Usagi's like my younger sister. I wasn't trying to be mean, I was just...wait," Motoki trailed off. "'Kōhai?'" he repeated.

Kunzite removed his sword. "Endymion needs four protectors and one of our members has passed on. You have proven yourself worthy to take up his mantle. I intend to train you to be a member of the Shitennou."

Motoki 's mouth dropped open. Train him? To be a warrior dedicated to serving Mamoru? He somehow felt that this would put a slight damper on his dream to be surgeon.

"I'm honored, but…" Motoki stopped at Kunzite's glare. "I mean, I'm honored to…uh…take the position."

Kunzite was still glaring, a bit expectantly. "Um…senpai?" Motoki finished the title as a question, not expecting Kunzite to want to be called that. However, Kunzite just nodded, seemingly satisfied.

No way. He was going to have a serious talk with Mamoru about this. And hell would freeze over before he started referring to his best friend as "Master".


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again! Sorry for the delay in updating. I had this chapter completely planned out, but then I realized the timing didn't make much sense, so I had to go back and revise it.

* * *

Suddenly there was a loud crash, someone yelling in the background, and then the line went dead.

The four heroes stood frozen to spot, gaping at one another in surprise.

"What the hell?" asked Jupiter, looking as baffled as the rest of the assembled team.

Mamoru strode out of his bathroom and headed toward his answering machine. The others followed suit. He looked at the blinking light on his machine and clicked the replay message button.

"_You have one unread message," _the disembodied voice declared, listing off time of call and phone number of the caller.

"Fascinating," murmured Zoicite, staring at the machine in wonderment.

"Wait. If you don't even know what an answering machine is, how did Kunzite figure out how to use a phone, let alone get a hold of Tuxedo Kamen's telephone number?" Jupiter asked.

No one had any idea. As they tried to puzzle it out, Mamoru suddenly shouted, "Motoki!"

The others jumped. Mamoru had turned around wide-eyed and frightened, his eyes still glowing.

"Motoki? What about Motoki?" demanded Jupiter.

"That's Motoki's phone number! He was calling from Motoki's apartment!"

"No!" Jupiter shouted, while slamming her fist into her palm and getting an angry glint in her eye. She looked up, a furious expression on her face. "If he hurt Motoki…" she let the threat trail off, too angry to speak.

"We have to go to his place _now_," growled Mamoru. He knew Kunzite wasn't himself right now, but there was no way he was going to let Motoki, his only friend, get hurt in the crossfire of their battle with the Dark Kingdom.

"Wait. We have to think this through logically before we go barreling into a possible trap," stated Venus rationally, standing in front of both Jupiter and Mamoru, who were already heading toward the balcony.

"We don't have the time…" began Mamoru, before Zoicite put a restraining arm on his shoulder.

"Sailor Venus is right, Master. You won't be much use to your friend if you fall into a trap."

Jupiter and Mamoru looked almost murderous, but they both willed themselves to calm down. The other two were right. They had to think before they ran off unprepared.

"First thing's first. Call back and see if we can get a hold of him," instructed Venus, her pulse speeding away.

She was _not_ looking forward to a confrontation with Kunzite. Her darling husband… She wasn't sure if she could bear the pain of attacking him. She felt tears prick her eyes and hastily wiped her face. She glanced up quickly to see if the others had noticed. Mamoru had the phone to his ear and Jupiter was watching him anxiously. Zoicite, however, was staring at her searchingly. She immediately understood why. He was silently questioning who she would put first in this fight, Kunzite or Endymion. She bit her lip and stared hard back at him, knowing that he would be able to read her thoughts easily enough through her facial expressions. Zoicite was almost supernatural in his ability to read others.

_He's not my liege yet, _she thought bitterly. _The prince and princess were only engaged, not married. I owe Endymion nothing._

Zoicite curled his lip and narrowed his eyes at her. She fought the urge to flinch.

_He'd never forgive you, _Zoicite's hardened face seemed to say.

Venus turned away unable to keep eye contact. _Yes, he would, _she thought stubbornly. _I'm his wife. He'd understand. _

She heard Zoicite straighten up, and chanced looking back at him. He was staring at her with near loathing and his stance clearly indicated that she had all but openly declared them enemies.

"Uh, did I just miss something?" questioned Jupiter, having suddenly noticed the stand-off between the Senshi and the Shitennou.

Zoicite and Venus chose not to answer her.

"Okay, fine. Keep more secrets from me," she huffed angrily, crossing her arms.

Venus sighed. She was really not creating a good rapport with her Senshi in this timeline.

"The line's completely dead," Mamoru stated, too worried about Motoki to notice the internal debate that had just taken place behind him.

"Can we go now?" demanded Jupiter impatiently.

Venus had tensed up. She had no excuse to prolong their departure.

Zoicite quickly noted her mental and emotional dilemma and stepped in to handle it. "I suggest we inform Mars and Mercury of the situation and send them. Jupiter can accompany them. The rest of us should remain here to await Sailor Moon's return and prepare for a possible youma attack."

This suggestion was met with two resounding "NO!"s and one "Hell, yeah!"

Jupiter, with all her pent up frustration and anger, was already heading out the balcony window, calling Mars and Mercury as she did so.

Venus and Mamoru were staring angrily at Zoicite. Zoicite remained calm and halted their protests before they began. "Master, I know this is your friend, but it is too dangerous for you to go. I don't want to risk your life unnecessarily."

"Oh, but it's totally fine that he stays here and waits for a youma attack?" spat Venus angrily.

Zoicite turned to her. "Staying here on the home front, so to speak, is far less dangerous than going up against Kunzite. Endymion is first and foremost a warrior. He must fight, but it is important that he not unnecessarily endanger himself. And you already know why you can't go."

Venus had her hands clinched and looked absolutely livid. Zoicite appeared not to notice.

Suddenly a connection clicked in Mamoru's mind. Venus couldn't be trusted to put the mission first. He just didn't realize that the "mission" was his safety.

"I'm going," stated Venus firmly, already marching over to the door. "Try to stop me."

Zoicite seemed clearly reluctant to shoot her with yet another energy blast, lest he seriously injure her this time, but he had already put his hands in position anyway. Mamoru noted the reluctance and calmly took out a rose and threw it at her, again bending it to his power.

Venus had her chain prepared and was waiting for that feeling of static electricity that occurred right before energy was tapped out of the air. She knew the chain would dissipate once she got far enough away, so she didn't have to worry about Zoicite and the prince being trussed up if a youma attacked. However, she didn't realize that conjuring a rose didn't have an effect on the immediate environment.

She barely had time to yelp in surprise when the rose vines wound themselves around her body, including her mouth. The force of the attack caused her to hit the floor with a loud thud. She screeched loudly through the vine in her mouth and rolled over to glare loathingly at the two men.

Zoicite had cocked an eyebrow at Mamoru. "Nicely done."

Mamoru couldn't bring himself to be happy at the compliment, not after seeing the look on Venus' face.

"Uh, maybe we should take her to the bedroom, so she's more comfortable?" Mamoru suggested.

Zoicite nodded and headed around the couch to reach her when a white bundle suddenly leapt at his chest.

"Untie her, Dark Kingdom scum!" the white feline shouted , as he attempted to claw at Zoicite's chest with his one good paw.

Zoicite calmly grabbed the cat by the scruff of his neck and held him at arm's length.

"Hello, Artemis. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"I don't know why I thought this cat couldn't talk," Mamoru muttered, too tired to be surprised.

Zoicite smiled slightly. "Artemis and Luna were both Queen Serenity's personal advisors".

Somehow Mamoru found this tidbit more interesting than talking cats. "Wait, you mean Sailor Moon's _mother_ had two... _cats _as advisors?"

Artemis had stopped struggling and was simply glaring at Mamoru. Zoicite had also turned to him, frowning.

"Master, that was most discourteous. Surely you hold no prejudice toward those different than you?"

Mamoru gaped. He was being accused of racism against _cats_? He was about to defend himself, but couldn't bring himself to do it against Zoicite's disapproving glare.

He turned to Artemis a bit sheepishly. "Uh….sorry, I've…uh…I've never met a talking cat before….no offense," he finished, a bit lamely.

Zoicite and Artemis both shared a glance. "Your diplomacy skills need improvement, Master", stated Zoicite.

"Agreed," muttered Artemis, then he looked up at the two men. "I wasn't aware Dark Kingdom warriors were concerned with political correctness."

"Dark Kingdom warriors are not concerned with political correctness, ergo we are not Dark Kingdom warriors," replied Zoicite, smiling slightly.

Artemis cocked an eyebrow at him."They also don't have senses of humor. That still doesn't explain why you knocked my charge and I out earlier and why you have her tied up."

"Ah, well, that is a long story. I assure you, however, that we meant neither of you harm. If you wait here while I make her more comfortable, I will be happy to explain the situation to you. Is that agreeable?"

"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice, now does it?" muttered Artemis, as Zoicite lowered him gently back onto the couch. He then went over to carry the still struggling Venus to Mamoru's bedroom.

Mamoru watched him go and then made his move. He may have been tired, but Mamoru didn't get a free ride to medical school for nothing.

As soon as Zoicite was out of sight, Mamoru strode across his apartment as quietly as possible and then leapt out of his balcony window.

He quickly went around the back of his building and started taking random turns, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure that Zoicite wasn't following him.

Once he felt secure that he wasn't being followed, Mamoru turned and headed for Motoki's apartment. He felt a little bit guilty for leaving Zoicite and Venus alone to handle a youma, but he didn't doubt that they could handle it. He didn't feel guilty at all for giving Zoicite the slip, however. His best friend was in danger, and he wasn't going to let anybody get in his way of rescuing him.

* * *

That was three times tonight she had been tied up. Venus was _not _happy. The more rational part of her brain was arguing that Zoicite was right, she really shouldn't go, especially since her main reason in doing so was to make sure the Senshi didn't hurt Kunzite. However, love pushed down all rational thought and Venus continued to kick, flail, and struggle as much as possible as Zoicite dragged her to Endymion's bedroom. She had to pretend to be helpless, so that Zoicite didn't realize she could easily escape. She clutched the end of the golden chain in her hand, which he fortunately hadn't noticed.

"Hey, where you are going!" shouted Artemis from the living room.

Zoicite growled as he flung her on top of the bed. "Must you always be so difficult, Master?"

He turned around to head back into the living room, when Venus struck.

The golden chain ruptured the vines keeping her captive as power exploded from her. She aimed and struck Zoicite square in the back.

The blond Shitennou cried out in pain and shock as the intensity of the attack forced him to his knees. Venus quickly conjured another chain and willed it to wrap around his body. He fell to the floor and ignoring his angry, muffled shouts, Venus strode to the balcony and leapt into the sunlight.

* * *

It became a little bit more difficult to remain unseen as he neared Motoki's apartment. The streets were lined with commuters on their way to work and more than once he saw people pointing and glancing curiously towards his hiding spots.

He was currently hiding in the branches of a tree, just one block away from his destination. Unfortunately, with the traffic and the low buildings, there weren't any places he could move stealthily. He decided to change into his civilian form and run the rest of the way. The less people attracted towards Motoki's apartment, the better.

"MAMORU-KUN! GET IN!"

Mamoru practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice. He turned towards the road to see Motoki in his car, coming to a stop besides him on the sidewalk.

He was so relieved that Motoki was okay, he quickly opened the back door and hopped inside the car.

Only then did he notice Motoki had two other passengers with him. Sailor Moon was curled up on the backseat, apparently sleeping. Kunzite was sitting in the passenger seat.

This time Mamoru did jump, promptly hitting his head on the roof of the car.

"MOTOKI! Get out of the car!"

He already had a rose out, ready to use as a weapon.

"Why?" Motoki asked confusedly, giving him a questioning glance in the rearview mirror.

'"Because…" he trailed off, a little bewildered. Wasn't Motoki in danger? Hadn't Kunzite taken him hostage and forced him to drive…

Okay, that didn't make much sense. Kunzite could teleport. Why would he be forcing Motoki to drive him somewhere? He looked over at Kunzite, who had his head bowed low and his face scrunched up in agony.

"Master," he breathed out, clearly in the grips of emotional pain

Oh, no. Not again. Although he felt a balloon of relief pop in his stomach, because Motoki _and _Sailor Moon were okay and Sailor Moon had apparently been able to heal Kunzite while she had been missing, he really did not want to go through another emotional heart-to-heart.

Also, there was something really creepy about being called "Master".

Motoki had resumed his driving while Mamoru gathered his thoughts. He was about to tell Kunzite to let it go, that he didn't blame him for being part of the Dark Kingdom, but then he realized Motoki was in the car. Explaining how he knew Kunzite would reveal that he was Tuxedo Kamen. He had to fake ignorance.

"Sorry?" he asked, as if he had misheard.

"Okay, Mamoru. Don't even go there. I know you know him," Motoki snapped.

"'Know him?'" repeated Mamoru, his pulse racing.

"Yeah. You clearly recognized him when you got in the car and you don't seem very surprised Sailor Moon is in the back seat. You totally know what's going on."

_Crap. _How was he going to get out of this one?

As he was racking his brain for a way out (maybe he had been present at one of the youma attacks and had seen Kunzite?), Motoki was glaring at him angrily in the rearview mirror. "I told you, Mamoru. Don't go there. I just spent my morning fighting a plant monster which destroyed my apartment. I deserve to hear the truth."

Mamoru sighed. He supposed that was true. Motoki should know his secret. He had never told Motoki, not because he didn't trust him to keep the secret, but because….well, he wasn't sure. He just seemed to prefer doing the whole thing solo.

"All right, the truth," he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "I'm Tuxedo Kamen."

Motoki slammed the breaks in shock. Mamoru felt himself thrown against the seat in front of him. Sailor Moon uttered a muffled whine, but continued slumbering.

"_Tuxedo Kamen!" _ Motoki seemed pole axed. Okay, sure. Imagining his friend as some reincarnated prince was a little weird, but that didn't make Mamoru any different than he was now. However, a tuxedo wearing, rose throwing, alien fighting superhero was an entirely different story.

"You didn't tell me he was Tuxedo Kamen!" he shouted at Kunzite.

Kunzite glanced over at Motoki. "Surely that was obvious, kōhai? I told you he was connected to Sailor Moon."

What the hell? Since when were Kunzite and Motoki on speaking terms?

"Right. Okay, then," Motoki huffed moodily, still shooting venomous looks at Mamoru in the back seat. "Next question. Is Usagi-chan Sailor Moon?"

Mamoru's eyes widened in shock. "How…how did you know that?"

"Lucky guess," Motoki snorted. He was becoming increasingly annoyed with the fact that Mamoru clearly didn't consider him trustworthy enough to be privy to this information.

While Mamoru was still reeling from the shock, Motoki asked his next question. Although he was extremely curious about why Mamoru and Usagi never seemed to get along when they apparently worked together to solve crime, he was more interested in what Kunzite had told him earlier. "Were you ever planning on telling me you're a reincarnated prince?"

"I wasn't aware of that myself until last night," he defended, still not comfortable with his newfound title.

This statement managed to get a slight reaction out of Kunzite. He seemed to be surprised. Mamoru frowned. Why did Zoicite and Kunzite both believe he would remember some past life he had apparently lived out eons ago?

Motoki raised his eyebrows. "Really? You found out you were a prince and then ran to the nearest tattoo parlor to stamp a royal symbol on your forehead?"

"What?" yelled Mamoru, leaning forward so that he could see his reflection in the mirror.

Sure enough, the gold sigil was still visible on his forehead.

"You've _got _to be kidding me. I'm not even transformed!"

Although he was leaning forward in the seat between Motoki and Kunzite, Kunzite still refused to make eye contact. Mamoru noticed that he hands were on his thighs, scrunched up into fists, and tears were slowly leaking from his closed eyes.

"Um….Kunzite?" he asked, fighting the feeling of awkwardness screaming through him.

Kunzite turned towards him, revealing wet and blood shot eyes. "Aye, Master?" he asked softly.

Mamoru felt his chest tighten at the sight. He remembered Zoicite's sorrow when he had first regained his memories and then his pledge to remain his brother in this timeline. These men clearly cared a lot about him if their guilt over what they had done affected them this deeply.

"I...I don't blame you for what happened. I'd really like for you to…" Mamoru stopped, unsure how to continue. He really didn't like what he was quickly coming to perceive as a master/slave type of relationship, but he decided he could deal with that situation later.

"Um…to resume your post," he finished, hoping that was what Kunzite wanted to hear.

Kunzite turned around to fully face Mamoru. "Master, I do not deserve such clemency. I willingly submit to any form of execution you deem appropriate."

Mamoru felt, rather than saw, the shock radiating off of Motoki at this declaration.

"Execute you? You want Mamoru to execute you?" Motoki snorted and glanced back at Mamoru. "Don't do it in my car, will you? Blood stains are really hard to get out."

Kunzite stared at Motoki in shock.

"He's being sarcastic," Mamoru explained, having enough experience with Zoicite to realize that the Shitennou probably didn't get sarcasm.

Motoki looked at Kunzite. "He's not going to execute you….senpai. At least, if being a prince hasn't gotten to his head yet," he paused and looked back at Mamoru. "I still can't believe you got a tattoo."

Mamoru sighed. He was hoping Kunzite or Zoicite knew how to get rid of the mark on his forehead before he had to go back to school.

"I'm not going to execute you," Mamoru echoed Motoki's statement, "I'd really rather you, um…take up your duties again."

Kunzite breathed shakily, clearly trying to keep his emotions in check. "Master….thank you. That is more than I could ever hope to ask for. I commit myself into your service again, to train you and to serve you until my death."

Mamoru again felt awkwardness threatening to swallow him whole. He was saved from answering by a high pitched shriek which sounded directly above the car.

Mamoru peered through Motoki's sun roof to see what appeared to be some sort of giant bird flying above the car.

"Youma," hissed Kunzite, staring up at the creature through the windshield.

"Another one?" gasped Motoki, disbelievingly. "How are they finding us?"

"Queen Beryl must be quite intent on finishing us off. She chose a flying one so that it would be able to follow us."

"Well, that's just great. I'm sure my insurance will have no trouble paying for a new apartment and a new car all in the same day," groused Motoki, as he made snap decision and stepped on the gas.

Motoki tried weaving in and out of traffic, as the bird-youma began to dive bomb the car. Its first strike missed the sunroof by a few inches, but still dented the car.

Mamoru quickly pulled the sunroof shut and then hastily transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. He turned to look at the still dozing Sailor Moon. How could she sleep through this!

Motoki was quickly learning that high speed car chases were nothing like the movies. Even though he was passing most of the traffic relatively quickly, he was fast approaching an intersection. He felt his pulse quicken at the impending danger. He quickly flipped on his hazards and then started honking his horn, trying to get people to move out of his way…and to warn through traffic not to ram him.

Some of the drivers ahead of him pulled over to let him pass, however enough ignored him that there was no way he could get through the intersection.

"Come on, people! Do you not see the demon bird monster!" he shouted, slamming on the breaks to avoid rear ending the car in front of him.

Sailor Moon fell forward, hitting her head on the back of the passenger seat. She sat up groggily in the back and blinked the sleep out of her eyes confusedly.

Tuxedo Kamen noticed that the heroine had come to and quickly devised a plan. "Sailor Moon! If I open the sun roof, can you throw your tiara at the youma?"

Sailor Moon blinked at him in surprise. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama? I already destroyed the youma," she said.

"There's another one," said Motoki tersely. His nerves were on edge as he honked impatiently at the cars in front of him, worried that any second the bird-monster would be back.

The windshield suddenly cracked as the youma managed to grip the roof of the car in its talons and violently rip it from the car.

Sailor Moon screamed as she got her first look at the giant creature. It looked like a bald eagle, only ten times larger and with black feathers instead of brown. The feathers around its head stood on end and formed a sort of crown around its face. Its eyes were bright yellow and shaped like slits. The beak was at least as long as a human hand and ended with a sharp curved hook. Each talon looked as long and as sharp as a butcher knife.

Oh, God, she couldn't handle this. What happened to the silly youmas shaped like birthday cakes and tennis balls? And why did she have to face three of them and Kunzite all in a single day? Adrenaline surged through her exhausted body, as she started screaming uncontrollably, the stress finally catching up to her.

Tuxedo Kamen looked over at the screaming girl and suddenly felt very annoyed.

"ODANGO ATAMA! Focus!" snapped Mamoru, his nerves also stretched to the breaking point.

The fact that Tuxedo Kamen had just referred t her as 'Odango Atama' was enough to pull her out of her fearful panic. She couldn't believe that the hero she idolized had just insulted her. She started crying, even as she silently resolved to make him proud of her. For some reason, she felt it was immensely important to be in his good graces.

With hands trembling from exhaustion and fear, she reached for her tiara.

Meanwhile, Kunzite was staring up at the sky warily, his hands poised for an energy attack. Unfortunately, the youma had flown back into the direction of the sunlight, blocking Kunzite's view of the creature.

Unable to rush through the crowded intersection, a good number of motorists elected to abandon their cars and run for the cover of nearby buildings. Motoki cursed as he unsuccessfully attempted to pass the idling cars blocking his path.

"We need to bail!" he shouted. Kunzite turned his eyes toward the road and quickly agreed.

"Everyone out!" he ordered, "Move in a zigzag formation."

The four heroes quickly jumped out of Motoki's damaged car and started to run, but Sailor Moon was far too exhausted to make it far. She hadn't slept the previous night and had now used her powers four times without any rest in between. As she started to run, her legs seemed to turn to jelly and she collapsed on the hard asphalt, barely three steps away from the car.

Tuxedo Kamen saw the blond hit the ground from the corner of his eye, and annoyance once again surged through him. He reached down to haul her to her feet.

"Come on, Odango! You can sleep later! I'm tired too, you know!"

He had no idea why he was angry with her at the moment. For some reason, watching her sleep had brought back images of her falling asleep and drooling all over her manga at the arcade. He had never seen Sailor Moon (nor could he imagine the Moon Princess) acting in such a lackadaisical fashion and for some reason, reminding him that she really was Odango Atama underneath the fuku, angered him.

After hearing his Master speak in such a way, Kunzite had promptly turned around, lifted Sailor Moon onto his back, and then given Mamoru a stare that could have melted lead. Mamoru resisted the urge to gulp, grateful his mask could hide the fear and guilt in his eyes.

Kunzite took off towards the safety of the buildings, Mamoru following in his wake like a chastened puppy.

Motoki had already made it to the sidewalk and was gesturing frantically at them. Mamoru whirled around just in time to see the youma diving, talons outstretched, toward Sailor Moon's exposed back. Without thinking, Mamoru launched an energy attack at the monster, which sent it crashing into the windows of the building across the street.

Kunzite's eyebrows rose. Without his memory, Endymion still seemed to have access to his powers.

"Master, do you remember how to teleport?" he shouted as he continued to run.

"Teleport?" Mamoru repeated. He could teleport? "I've never tried."

Kunzite had been afraid of that. Teleporting to safety had been his first option, but he assumed that his Master would not remember how to do so and attempting it for the first time in the midst of danger could prove disastrous.

If they didn't want to be followed by the youma, this seemed like their only option. Generally speaking, it was only possible to teleport one extra person, but perhaps with Endymion's added power they could all go as a group. Kunzite would need to use all his power to guide their essences to the right location. That was the greatest danger in teleportation: without enough concentration it was possible to become lost in the ether.

Tuxedo Kamen and Kunzite joined Motoki on the sidewalk. With Sailor Moon still on his back, Kunzite instructed the two men to form a circle, holding hands.

"Listen carefully. Master, you will need to have an image of a safe place in your mind. Think of nothing else. Kōhai, you need to clear your mind completely. Your thoughts could interfere in the transfer."

"Um…what?" said Motoki confused, even though he had already followed instructions and had formed a circle, awkwardly holding hands with Kunzite and Mamoru.

"My apartment should be safe…" Mamoru suggested, realizing that Kunzite obviously wouldn't be attacking the place.

Kunzite nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the exhausted princess. "Your Highness? Can you quiet your thoughts?"

Sailor Moon nodded sleepily against his back. She was having enough trouble staying conscious.

"Keep the image firmly planted in your mind. I will guide the transfer," he stated, and then he turned to Motoki. "Your mind _must _be clear, kōhai. Our deaths could result if you misdirect us with your wayward thoughts."

Motoki gulped. He had just realized what they would be attempting. "No thoughts. Got it," he said nervously, mentally willing himself to clear his mind. He had practiced meditation as part of his judo training; he could do this, he nervously assured himself.

Kunzite nodded to Endymion, who took a deep breath and then closed his eyes, concentrating on an image of his living room.

"Once you have the image, will yourself to be there," instructed Kunzite, as suddenly people began screaming, trying to warn the heroes that the monster was again diving towards them.

Sailor Moon turned to see the youma hurtling towards them and she suddenly decided she would make Tuxedo Kamen proud of her. She willed power into her tiara, which she still had gripped in her hand.

"NOW, Master!" Kunzite shouted, right before he felt Sailor Moon slip off his back.

Mamoru didn't need any prompting. He wanted to be anywhere but in the path of an attacking youma. He felt power surge through him, similar to the feeling he had when he was launching an energy attack, only the energy seemed to be aimed inward, rather than outward. It pulsed through him and then through his hands into Motoki. He became dimly aware of Motoki's….being, for lack of a better word. It felt as if his life force had combined with Motoki's, and then by extension to Kunzite's. The energy pulsed through them, as if their heartbeats had all synchronized. There was suddenly an odd feeling of weightlessness and then Mamoru felt as if he were being sucked into….the air? It seemed like he was being pulled down a drain, only the direction didn't seem to be down, it seemed to be…in. No sooner had this odd sensation began, when Mamoru began to feel the opposite. The energy felt like it was trying to push them out of something. The feeling intensified and Mamoru guessed this is what being born must have felt like; an intense feeling of being pushed out of an enclosed space.

Suddenly, Mamoru became aware of his…mass…returning. He felt complete and whole again and almost jumped in surprise. He was standing in his living room, still holding onto Kunzite and Motoki.

His mouth fell open. That had to be the weirdest experience of his entire life. It was like the air itself had swallowed him and then regurgitated him back out across town. He shared a glance with Motoki, who looked similarly shook up.

"That was trippy," Motoki gasped, eyes wide with shock.

"Hello, _Master,_" snapped an angry voice, coming from behind him.

The trio of men turned around to stare at Zoicite, who sat glaring angrily up at Mamoru from the floor, bound in bright golden chains.

"You!" Motoki shouted, recognizing the man who had attacked Reika.

Kunzite completely ignored the bound Zoicite and the startled Motoki. Instead, he violently punched Mamoru in the gut and then teleported back to the spot where he had lost Sailor Moon.

All the air whooshed out of him as he collapsed onto the carpet, desperately gasping for breath. He had already been bruised by Zoicite's earlier energy attack and this had only exacerbated the pain.

As Motoki reached down to help his struggling friend, Kunzite rematerialized, carrying a limp and lifeless Usagi.

Motoki's eyes widened. They had left her behind? How had that happened? And what happened to her Sailor Moon costume?

Kunzite, an expression of fury still on his face, looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. Before the evening had gone straight to hell, Usagi had been wearing baby pink flannel pajama bottoms with bright pink hearts dotting the fabric. Her top was covered only by a thin white tank top with a pink bunny winking in the middle. Her hair had been brushed out and left free during the night.

He quickly averted his eyes, suddenly realizing how scantily clad she was. He stepped over the still gasping Mamoru and laid his princess gently on the couch. He removed his cape and covered her prone form. Then he suddenly reached down, grabbed Mamoru by the collar of his tuxedo and literally dragged him over to the slumbering girl.

"She needs energy, _Master," _said Kunzite, spitting out the title like it was a curse word.

What had happened to the broken and contrite Kunzite from earlier? Mamoru, still coughing, even while held in this awkward position over Usagi's chest, could barely comprehend this transformation.

"Now, Master!" he snapped, shaking Mamoru's neck.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he was genuinely afraid of Kunzite at the moment, and so he reached for Usagi's hand, hoping he would be able to give energy to her the same way that energy had pulsed between him and Motoki during their teleport.

He knew shouting at Sailor Moon had probably been the stupidest thing he could have done during the fight, and he was shocked that he had done it. He assumed that the stress from the night had just been too much and, without thinking, he had once again used Usagi as a vent for his frustration.

The guilt built up as he stared down at the untransformed superheroine, Odango Atama. Earlier in the evening, he had thought he had come to grips with her triple identity, but now he wanted to fully imprint the image onto his mind.

This young girl in bunny pajamas was Sailor Moon, who had just destroyed two, possibly three, youmas tonight and had healed both Kunzite and Zoicite. He was sure that he hadn't accidentally missed her in the teleport; she must have slipped off at the last moment so that she could destroy the youma. _Probably because I made her feel bad about herself again, _he thought miserably.

As the energy began transferring between them (much to Mamoru's relief) he became acutely aware of just how weak Usagi had become. She almost seemed to be struggling to breathe; no wonder she hadn't been able to hold her transformation.

Then he realized what had made Kunzite so livid. Usagi could have _died _all because she wanted to prove to him that she wasn't a weakling, despite the fact that she had already done so much during the night. The image of Kunzite bringing back a dead Usagi instead of an extremely exhausted one, hung in his mind. For the second time that day, Mamoru felt emotion completely overwhelm him.

He collapsed on top of Usagi and began crying. That was twice tonight that Usagi had almost died and both times were due to his hurtful comments. "I'm sorry, Odango….Usagi….I'm so, so sorry," he gasped out between his sobs.

How could Zoicite claim that he loved her when he treated her like this? He pulled up still sobbing, staring at Usagi's face. The doctor in him noticed she now had a healthy rosy complexion, as opposed to the pale, washed out one from earlier.

He didn't love her, he thought, but that wasn't because he hated her. He had never given her the chance to be anything other than a ditzy, immature blond. He wanted to rectify that as soon as possible. Considering their history, he wasn't sure if they would be able to love each other in this timeline, as Zoicite seemed to think, but he really wanted their relationship to move past being Odango Atama and Mamoru-baka. His resolve hardened. He was going to do everything he could to overcome his own insecurities and open up, so that Usagi would begin to see him as something other than a monster.


End file.
